Incognito - Adventures In Black Sunshine (2004)

It's funny how every time another phenomenally funky, brass-fired groove party comes out in the shape of another solid Incognito date, the label touts it as "retro." This time, Narada Jazz's press materials focus on all of group mastermind Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick's influences in order to remind listeners that he's a child of the '70s. But the basic soul vibe of that decade has been the defining element of Incognito's sound since their first disc in the early '80s. The big story on 2003's Who Needs Love was the inclusion of a Brazilian vibe via Ed Motta, and here it's the return after several albums of the honey soul-voiced Maysa Leak, who was a big part of the group's rise to acid jazz prominence in the early '90s. Depending on the intensity of the groove, Leak's cool vibes add breeze or urgency over the course of her seven tracks -- from the laid-back seduction of "Don't Turn My Love Away" to the more danceable and emotionally charged "Everything Your Heart Desires" and the moody, socially conscious "This Thing Called Love." Listening to the irrepressible instrumentals, which keep the groove moving under increasingly snazzy horn fire, it's clear the kind of impact Incognito has had on newer Brit outfits like Down to the Bone. "The 25th Chapter" rolls on and on like a disco on fire (with jazzy flute pepper trying to put it out), while no less than George Duke (another '70s-minded jazz-funk genius) spices up the spacy soul jam "Mindin' My Business" with some out-there Rhodes improvisations. Even with some 1,000 musicians passing through Incognito's ever-revolving doors and ever-evolving sound, Maunick's admiration for the soul music that first inspired him comes through brilliantly every time out. -- Jonathan Widran