Nightmares On Wax

Skanking back into the limelight with his first LP in five years comes Warp Records' longest standing minion, Nightmares on Wax (aka George Evelyn), a man that brings the fire to the melting pot. As always, Evelyn has managed to effortlessly blend the multicultural elements of every groove-based genre under the sun. Mainstays jazz, funk, soul, reggae, and hip-hop all make an appearance, as well as some poignant orchestral strings, courtesy of Jazzanova's Sebastian Studnitsky. There are even some flutters of IDM on downtempo closing track "Om Sweet H(Om)e." Then there's the album's runaway highlight, "Now is the Time," which a perfect fusion of wobbly funk ruptures and reggae backdrops that's Nightmares on Wax's best tune in the last seven years. It's a track that by all rights should have played the role of head chef at every summer barbeque of 2013. In fact, here lies Feelin' Good's only flaw: its release date. Had the album dropped in May, it could have complemented the season beautifully. Now, it'll have to settle for cushioning the winter months with its unabashed, bubbly vibes.