Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

No outfit has done as much as Sounds Of Blackness when it comes to celebrating the diversity and spirituality of the roots of modern black music. The vocal versatility and musicality of the band have meant that critical accolades and commercial success have gone hand in hand. Now with a new album, the band simultaneously continue to celebrate their roots whilst also expressing the need for reconciliation between communities. From the straight ahead funkiness of, err, "Straight Ahead" through the stripped down clavinet-driven grooviness of "Try" to the ballad "Thank You", every track cuts it. Polished performances, perfect production and well crafted songs full of soul and inspiration - basically everything we've come to expect on a Sounds Of Blackness album! For me a standout track is the closing interpolation of "Sounds Of Blackness/Take The A Train" with its brief black musical history lesson taking us from jazz era Harlem to rap era present day Harlem! Just fabulous stuff. Oh yeah, and the title cut is a magnificent lifting inspirational anthemic slab of funk that's too good to miss. Faultless!

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