The New Mastersounds - Renewable Energy (2018)

Originally from the UK, funky soul-jazz veterans The New Mastersounds have been touring the US, Europe and Japan for over a decade and return here with their twelfth studio album, recorded in New Orleans and Denver and featuring a slew of musical guests including Sam Bell, one of the founding members of plays percussion on most of the tracks, and Mike Olmos and Joe Cohen of the West Coast Horns, who provide added horn action. "Renewable Energy" expands on the band's trademark sounds. Their cover of James Gang's "Funk 49" takes the album in a fuzzed-out psych-rock direction, while the moody Hancock-esque inflections of "Stash" and the sweet mellow vibes of "Swimming With My Fishes" add the final brushtrokes of colour to the canvas.