Bodily Functions

Tracks like "Suddenly" and "Leave Me Now" percolate at tempos fast enough for dancing, even though their musical backdrops are dreamily mesmerizing, perfect for chilling on a sofa. "On Reflection" takes it one step further and puts its toes right on the edge of the dancefloor; the tempo and percussion make you think the bass drum will kick in at any minute, but the song stays content as a supper club ballad with a beatnik crashing the party with his own bongo drum groove.

"Addiction" and "I Miss You" are intoxicating ballads with similar percussion flourishes, but other cuts like "I Know" and "About This Time Each Day" prove that ringleader Matthew Herbert could hold his own with straight-ahead jazz cats. Vocalist Dani Sicilliano casts a hazy spell throughout the album, managing to chart that rare territory of vocals that sound dreamy, lazy and still passionate. Herbert goes out with a bang, however, as "The Audience" challenges one and all to sit still while Dani's "move with me" chorus floats over a bubbly and irresistible club groove.

The credits are shaped like a human eye and are hard as hell to read, but finding out certain percussion sounds came from laser eye surgery or a mouse who fell into a wastebasket make it well worth the trip. In a way, it all proves "Bodily Functions" is the epitome of jazz: its creative spirit is influenced only by itself and becomes more profound when it feeds off its own origination. Music fans who take the time to sit and absorb "Bodily Functions" before they let it be background fare may well find themselves immobile from the disc's hazy, alluring start to its rousing, celebratory finish. You are hereby challenged to find anything else that sounds like this.

However, after downloading the first half of the album, I immediately decided this was definitely one (of many) to own! It's something you'd play after coming home from going out, after coming home from work whilst taking a bath, while smooching on the couch with someone special and even while sitting on your balcony on a mid-summer night.

If you wanted to compare this album to something else; think Everything But The Girl's most recent studio album, Temperamental. It's dancey, but not too loud... Very jazzy, melodic. VERY soothing.

I honestly don't think you'll be disappointed.