"the outfit instead wind their way through buttery soul, vintage library music, smooth orchestral jazz and general twentieth century musical lushness. One for the nostalgics and easy listening massive"

Jowee Omicil has been around. sMilLes is the eleventh album no less from this nomadic Canadian-Haitian composer and multi-instrumentalist who can turn his hand to saxophone, clarinet, flute, pocket trumpet, Rhodes, piano, voice and more. The album is an eclectic jazz ride with some choice guests and throws in some tropical vibes as well to keep you on your toes and maybe even get you moving, but the real standout track is "Should I Smile", mainly due to the always impeccable

"If that wasn't enough whispered, Sun Ra reminiscent, voices drift in at the end like ghosts from the world's battlefields to add spectral weight to the message."

"leftfield leaning, 80s vibing, soundtrack nodding jazz fusion "

"This time round the arrangements largely eschew the barely conscious drones and ambient jazz of their debut to take more familiar, gravity beholden forms"

"the trio pause to reconsider their path, toying with ideas before deciding that a full on jazz dance assault is the way"

"the keys alternating between exploring the universal consciousness and warming up the jazz dancers as the crew stretch out and have some fun"

"The track then launches into a full on spiritual nu-jazz wall of sound that courses through the speakers and your consciousness"

"a boundary nudging ambient jazz transmission that refreshingly doesn't sound like too much else around"

"And so the song continues for six, all too short minutes, a heart wrenching window into Ellis' childhood and his gospel and jazz roots."

"the most spiritual jazz sound bath since Alice Coltrane’s ashram years. It’s a deep, meaningful listen, pull up a chair."

"It's as good a slice of oh so nice nu-soul as you'll hear this year. Now for that album."

" the crew have attained quite the spiritual/psychedelic (delete as applicable or choose both) soulful jazz-funk state."

"the horns in sweet unity repeating a pleasingly restrained refrain that synergises with the repeated minimal guitar motif that acts as the tracks ever present driving force"

"It's a warm slice of cosmic Afrobeat which should be all over global and open minded dance floors this summer and well beyond."

"the former spending half that time in an ambient trance before communing with the ancestors via an easy Afrocentric groove"

there’s a distinctly lounge music vibe running throughout, albeit a cosmic kitsch one

easy grooving, bossa nodding, smooth AOR winking, yacht rocking, warm and uplifting, soulful jazz

his selfless approach leaves the focus on Åsbakk, whose voice rings pure and true from the instrumental gloom, deftly traversing centuries and breathing new life into these songs

If you need some jazz tickled celestial chillout for your summer inactivity then look no further.

Kicking off with some minimal yet fluid drums and bass - both from the man himself, that anchor the ambient atmospherics, the low gravity sax of Julien Fillion drifts in from a happy place

Jazz fans get straight over to this album, it’s like the good old, bad old days all over again.

Sahko Recordings deserve a long service achievement award for outsider electronica over the decades and you have to admire their continued vision in getting these three boundary nudging artists to align.

drops the dance floor designs for a lovely warm Sunday morning vibe, even daring to venture north of the border on “Favela“ to pay respects to the care free bossa sounds of their neighbours.