The CD starts off with "Recover Lover," a soulful number that will grab your attention and let you groove all you want. The male vocals front the band with a smooth essence that will let you dig into the music and feel its emotions. The female backing vocals soothe over any wounds you may be feeling, and let you enjoy the music to its fullest. It's a perfect combination that is warm and inviting, as well as soft and relaxing. The drums keep the pace in the background eloquently, while the bass thumps along with the music. The guitar is soft and sweet, giving the song a nice dancing feeling to it. The windy breeze of the keyboard flows through the music with a rejuvenating touch. And the occasional horns drive through the music like hot coals, giving a hot touch to it that completes the song nicely. "Passage to Nigeria" is a sweet instrumental. Full of heart and soul, this song steams up any room. A perfect song to sit back and relax or one you can grab the loved one and slow dance with. The horns show their true force on this one, dominating the music and taking control nicely. Nothing holds these guys back as they drive through this one with a jazzy sensation. "The Lucky One" closes out the CD the same way it started. Hot grooves and intense melodies. The male and female vocals once again play together perfectly. The band is on target with this one as well, letting the warm voices lead them through some tight musical paths. A perfect close to a great CD.

The Jumpstarts are an amazing band. They have a bright future ahead of them. Once they record a full length they'll be all over the ska world. This CD showcases a bright band, and I look forward to hearing more from them. But for now, pick up this EP. You wouldn't be disappointed. They put a lot of soul into their beautiful combination of soul, ska, and jazz. I'll give this CD an A-.

Jumbo's Killcrane: The Slow Decay

Junction 18: This Vicious Cycle

[Issue Six // March 1998]