Customer Rating: 
Summary: A good vintage.
Comment: I generally don't talk about things I don't know of or do not have enough information to give an opinion. It seems there are two different releases of Incognito's latest album, and this is the one I have. So my review will be on this one, although I have read the critics about the other version here on Amazon, and I will refer to them.First, it is true that Maysa is not on this one. She has been on and off Incognito's Albums for some time and when this first happened, I wondered if there were problems with Bluey. Maysa is a big "plus" for any band, but the truth is that Bluey is trying to keep the members of the "Incognito family" working on his projects. The family is quite large, as I recently heard on an interview on a local FM station, so it is normal to see all these changes. My opinion is that the vocals (men and women) are not a weakness on this album, and no reproach can be addressed to Jean Paul Maulnick for keeping the tables turning, like any good coach would do with a team. It keeps the level of involvement of the members, and it guarantees different sounds and approaches (you can't expect any artist to keep on sounding the same forever, can you ?).
Second, this new album is more consistent than the previous release. It is more soul-funk oriented, with more bass play, and less experimental. True enough, it has a couple of weaker tracks (the opening "stay mine" is not a materpiece, "There will come a day", with its gospel flavour, doesn't call my attention either, "Got to know" is a bit repetitive), but what about the rest ? Can anyone tell me that the album is boring or poorly executed ? What about the super "Rivers running black", or "Reach out" that literally get me out of my seat to dance ? "On the road part II" is another masterpiece. I would not be as sure as one of the reviewers that this is full of fill-ups, and that the band only had half an album but decided to stretch it to release a full cd... I really don't agree that the band "should" have released this cd and the previous one under only one release. If you want a best of, make it yourself on MD, Cassette or cdr...
Third, I have read that the lyrics are stupid on this album. Well, what about the average quality of the lyrics in the music industry ? Not to talk about the quality of the music itself... Way below Incognito's sounds in so many cases.
Fourth, the family is alive ! The band has been there for over 20 years and it doesn't seem we are close to any kind of fall. Bluey has his own record label (RICE records), he has worked on the Inner Shade and Citrus Sun projects, the Incognito family is large, his Son is even getting involved in this, and the reaction of the crowd to songs like "Skin on my skin" when performed live is amazing.
Even if this is not Incognito's best album to date, it is better than the previous one and a must have for acid jazz and good pop soul lovers. Is it worth 25 dollars ? No, but what album is worth that ? Get it for the same price you can buy any other cd, and you will certainly not be disappointed.
