Redinho – Redinho

Redinho’s self-titled debut starts with the warm build and pads of “Stinger” (one of several melodic interludes that include “Dive” and “Say I Want You”) before the squat hip-hop-tinged funk of “Jacuzzi” takes over. “Sharp Shooter” brings out the electro, and the deep bass of “Playing With Fire” grounds a vocodered soul, while Brendan Reilly offers his unadulterated voice to “Get You Off My Mind.” Vula warms up “Making Up the Rules” with her honey-toned vocals, and Vanessa Haynes does the same for “Going Nowhere. But I think the instrumental tracks are where Redinho shines brighter: “Searching” brings some smooth breaks; the mellow tones of “Shem” offer a different mood; and “With or Without You” adds some joy in its bounce. The closer “Stay Together” brings these together: both the funky vocoder and warm textures with some suggestions of dubstep. Solid listening.

One of the most sublime, inventive, and stunning electro-funk albums of the last several years - while the instrumental tracks are ace, the vocal cuts, including "Get You Off My Mind" (feat. Brendan Reilly) and "Going Nowhere" are amazing - I come back this album again and again - an expertly crafted soundscape - one of those "headphone" albums that warrants repeated listens. A+