Once In a While

There are a number of European cities widely known for the fertile excitement of their dance music scenes, but up until now Zagreb (capital city of Croatia) has not really been among them. But Yannah Valdevit and Eddy Ramich seem ready to change that. This is their second album, and it finds them continuing to explore the cool soul, funk, and nu jazz textures that have made them regionally famous and have captured the attention of such eminent colleagues as Bobby Caldwell and Gilles Peterson. Once in a While starts on a jazz-soul note, with tight and smooth overdubbed vocal harmonies and a swinging beat, but then things start getting complex and slightly weird: note the slippery string samples and the unsettled funk beat of "Bad Fairy" (featuring laconic vocalist Earl Zinger) and the dancehall/reggaeton wiggle of "Solid Ground" (which features subtly twisted vocals from Valdevit). Also worth paying special attention to are the fun and glitchy "To Keep" and the powerfully funky "Who Is It?," which features a guest appearance by a very fine singer identified only as Amalia. There are no really weak tracks, although "Finding Right Tune" is a bit too wordy given the shallowness of its lyrical content. Highly recommended overall.