A TASTE OF CHERRY

In 1985, when metallic synth sounds, robotic sequencers and crashing drum machine beats were all the rage, JTQ went against the grain by unleashing a Hammond-led slice of organic retro-funk called blow up. It helped sow the seeds of the acid jazz movement, but JTQ's astonishing longevity-despite myriad personnel changes-would seem to indicate that the group's music has transcended fads and fashions. This new album is replete with all the tried and trusted ingredients that characterised every other JTQ release down the years:pleanty of lightning-fingered organ licks, brassy hooks and syncopated moods and grooves where funk and jazz collide. It's formulaic, perhaps, but the music is always engaging, as exemplified by the JB's-style funk of the In-Between, the fusionesque Opening Our Eyes and the sweetly soulful Summer Song.

Mojo *** 2006