Club Classics Vol. One

Now that 'Back To Life' has been firmly etched into everyone's brain (and a lot of hearts, too) the time seems right to delve further into the heart and soul of Jazzie B. and his cohorts.

In Club Classics Vol. One we find an album that's as cool as a summer breeze and as sweet as strawberries and cream – Soul II Soul play behind the beat and between the sheets! From the opening 'Sexual Healing'-style 'Keep On Moving' (where singer Carol Wheeler sounds incredibly like a budding Anita Baker), the album slips and slides through an array of laid-back grooves and rhythms, all spiced with sweet harmonies, heavy-bass, Philly strings and world user-friendly philosophies.

In a song like 'Holdin' On Bambelela' Jazzie B. manages to express a desire for better times without ever sounding like he's preaching because he wraps his message in a seductive hip-hop backbeat and a Fela Kuti gospel-style chorus. It's this precise talent for melting down such diverse elements that makes the album so interesting. Another good example of this is the freeform 'Feeling Free Live Rap', which sounds like Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On' being played by some drunken band whose rhythm guitarist thinks they're playing 'Tighten Up'.

But it's on a track like the instrumental 'African Dance' that Soul 11 Soul shine best – a bouncing bassine, Zulu percussion and a vibrant lead flute all contribute to a hypnotic sound (try imagining Ian Anderson with one tenth the imagination of Prince). Elsewhere Jazzie B. entices everyone to dance their socks (and their pants and their shirts etc. etc) off whilst reminding us all to think positive – Be Happy. This works best on the sublime 'Feel Free', where vocalist Do'reen swoops and swoons over a powerhouse rhythm section and an awesome string section (take a bow, the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra).

On the closing 'Jazzie's Groove' we're told the story of Soul 11 Soul so far, and we're also let in on their philosophy for the future; "A happy face, a thumpin' base, for a lovin' race".

You got any better plans this summer.