A sublime bit of modern soul jazz -- produced by Phil Asher with a quality that blows away most other Nu Jazz efforts on the market! The album's the brainchild of sax player Nathan Haines and Asher, but it's got a soul collective feel that pushes it past any simple remix-type project, one that gives it all the depth and righteousness of a classic session on Strata East or Black Jazz. About half the tracks are 70s-sounding jazz groovers -- with a modal feel, a combination of electric and acoustic instrumentation, and occasional vocals with a very soulful edge. The other half of the tracks are in a more modern mode -- with a mixture of programmed samples and acoustic instrumentation, still holding onto all of the soul of the other tracks on the set. The end result is a wonderfully unified album with a progressively soulful sound -- one of the few recent albums that can make such a claim, in the elite company of groups like Fertile Ground or Spiritual Vibes. [DustyGroove]