Reviewed by Ian Hayter

Jon Scott was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and he claims as influences African superstar Fela Kuti and his otherwise unknown school music teacher Father James O'Connell. Now the owner of a law firm in London he has poured some of his money into this project, produced by Gordon Hulbert (who has worked with, among others, Chaka Khan and Annie Lennox). There is nothing terribly original about the music or the lyrics - schmaltzy love songs with a vaguely retro sound which at times conjure up the memory of Earth Wind & Fire, Osibisa or even (lyrically, not vocally) Barry White (though, strangely, never Fela Kuti). A couple of tracks have been released into the mainstream as singles - "Give Me A Call" and "Summer (Let's Get Together)" - but have failed to trouble the compilers of the charts. Every now and then it seems as if the funk is going to break out, but it never quite gets there, despite some great sax by Roberto Manzin and bass from the aforementioned Mr Hulbert. A couple of the songs have an afro feel - "S2G (Stand Together)" and "Summer" - but, again, neither really get going. On the whole, it's a selection of fairly ordinary songs, but with a well-produced and uplifting feel, probably best heard on a sunny summer's day lying on the grass. Mind you, the man's got some courage (or a very odd sense of humour) as the album is dedicated to "My STILL short fat ugly wife"!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.