SECOND TIME AROUND

Second album from the London-based octet follows the same blueprint as they had for their debut album of the previous year. With a largely un-changed setting (line-up + technicians), the same label, the album came with another impressive artwork from the same painter.

The album starts on the very strong Anthracite (a very black coal, burning very well), which ignites the fire in your veins with its upbeat funky track gliding over distant brass lines, occasionally letting sax and flute getting personal with the listener. Excellent stuff. Willy's Headache is an aerial flute-laden soft jazzy track that last only two seconds longer than you wish it to and is soon followed by Genevieve, which is another excellent track where the insistent brass ostinato create a special tension that the vocals is only too happy to deal with.

The album is not quite as "perfect" as its predecessor, since there are a few tracks of lesser interest, including the more trad-African drum track For Baby Woh and. Fug is an up-tempo ethnic track (this sounds like Zulu rhythms) where the brass section attack both in the front ranks, but also in the background.

While Second Time around is another very worthy album, it doesn't have the amount of excellent tracks its predecessor had and furthermore, it lacks the surprise the first album had given us.