Jazzanova

From the luscious cut-and-paste opening track of their debut disc, In Between, back in 2002, the musical magic touch of Berlin-based producer collective Jazzanova has represented a veritable gold seal in the world of beat-driven soul-jazz amalgams. With new disc Of All The Things, the six-man squad churn out yet another healthy heaping of soul the way it should be done, crafting their intensely intricate, string-blessed orchestrations with an even greater level of style and grace. Phonte maintains his winning crooner pose of late on album leader "Look What You're Doin' To Me," with its funked-up mix of dirty guitars and rich harmonic vocal blasts, elements sampled from follow-up cut "Let Me Show Ya." From there, singer Paul Randolph snatches the torch with a fine showing of more classic vocal styles, blending Stevie with Jazzanova's well know samba love affair on "Lucky Girl" before tackling the beautifully reflective "Dial A Cliché." With equally memorable helpings from Jose James, Leon Ware and Dwele along way, this record offers the perfect cure for the winter blahs.