Kicking off with some archival radio sound voiceover and a male vocal urging you to ‘release yourself’, Nu:Tone’s second full length release quickly swings into the kind of naggingly danceable drum ‘n’ bass fans have come to expect from Dan Gresham.

While the junglist styles he’s explored before aren’t present here there is a real range of influences, but these probably fit into three main types on this album.

There’s the vocal tunes, some of which work, like the stirring vocal from regular nu-jazz voice Ernesto or the soothing and dreamy Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, but some of which miss the mark, such as the rather lightweight and fluffy song of Natalie Williams, System.

There’s the retrosoul (a la Nu:Tone anthem Spreadlove), which is something he obviously nails. Just flick straight to track 13 when you pick up this CD to find out – the tune Jet Stream featuring Talc sounds almost like Earth, Wind and Fire meets d ‘n’ b and is a surefire dancefloor starter with a real dose of soul.

And, then there’s the wobbly tunes… like the throbbing bass line of Never Together, the gently insistent bass notes and echoed synth keys of Deep Old, and What’s Your Leisure, which almost sounds like Underground Resistance style Detroit techno with d ‘n’ b beats and a vocal refrain.

Underlaying it all is a highly polished production technique that throws always rolling beats, with a real smooth fell about them that will never grate and have a swing about them as well as a real dancefloor drive.

This is an album that will please all sorts of drum ‘n’ bass fans and will also crossover to fans of soulful dance music in general, making it a must-check for a lot of you.

Rating: 7.5/10

For comments on this review go to:
http://www.teknoscape.com.au/forums/showthread.php?p=1418740

Tracklist:
1. Beliefs - Nu Tone & Pat Fulgoni 
2. Deep Old - Nu Tone 
3. System - Nu Tone & Natalie Williams 
4. Missing Link - Nu Tone 
5. Take Me Back - Nu Tone & Commix 
6. What's Your Leisure - Nu Tone & Talc 
7. Say Hello Wave Goodbye - Nu Tone & Logistics 
8. Beatnik - Nu Tone 
9. Never Together - Nu Tone & Logistics 
10. Up And Down - Nu Tone & Ernesto 
11. Boy Who Lost His Smile - Nu Tone 
12. Goofy - Nu Tone 
13. Jet Stream - Nu Tone & Talc  

This was a RTRFM Full Frequency album feature.

Label: Hospital/Inertia