Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Portsmouth-based acid jazzers River Deep give us a taste of their funky jazzy dancy workouts. More atmospheric and less blistering heat than Capitaan's recent debut but this is nevertheless 18 minutes of fluid guitar explorations, strong melodies and funky rhythms. "Sci Fi Soap Box" highlights Sam Warren's fine jazzy guitar soloing. "Sweet paradise" is ice cool jazz funk with Esther Warren's warm lead vocals wrestling for attention with Sam's wah wah guitar. The EP closes with "Cheeky Wah", a bright breezy excuse for even more of Sam's excellent guitar playing which left me wondering what delights this lot are capable of pulling off live. The most accomplished song on the EP is the opener "Sometimes". Mid paced and gently jazzy, this infectious piece is probably the best advertisement of the band's strengths - Esther's cool voice and Sam's well judged guitar playing. On the strength of this debut, River Deep are definitely worth checking out. I'll be keeping my eye on the gig list!

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.

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