A tight debut from Lasperanza – aka arranger producer Rico Garofalo, who put together the whole set as a tribute to older jazz, funk, and soul that laid the seeds for his own music in recent years! The record has a vibe that's a bit like that strong UK soul tradition started with Incognito, and carried forth by a number of other artists in recent years – with a really strong vision at the core, handled by a musician who's also a maestro in the studio – who then opens the door to a shifting array of singers who really make the record sparkle with a great sense of variety! Lasperanza has sax or flute solos on most tracks, and seems ready to rise up there with the cream of UK soul labels like Dome or
Expansion in recent years – and guest singers include Decosta Boyce, Hannah White, LaAerial, Kayleigh O'Neill, Colette Connor, Keni Stevens, and Izzy Chase. Most tracks are remakes of soulful classics, completely changed up – and titles include "Let's Stay Together", "Give Me The Night", "Kilimanjaro", "Under The Moon & Over The Sky", "Early Morning Love", "Working Day & Night", "In The Mood", and "It Should Have Been You".
(Neo Soul, Jazz)