Tatham Mensah Lord & Ranks CD

Once upon a time, this kind of gathering of broken beat and nu-jazz masters - not to mention the stellar cast list of guest instrumentalists and vocalists - would have caused major ripples. As it is, Tatham, Mensah, Lord & Ranks will probably fall through the cracks. That would be a crying shame, because it's actually pretty tasty. Soulful, deep, jazz-flecked and brilliantly produced, it sounds like a long lost collaboration between IG Culture, Herbie Hancock and Bugz In The Attic (unsurprising since it features many Bugz collaborators and members, from Mark De Clive-Lowe and Bembe Segue, to Mark Force and, of course, Kaidi Tatham). Highlights are plentiful, from the liquid funk of "Mr Pickles", to the sweet modern soul of "Get Up, Lift Up", via the floor-friendly pulse of "Kenny".