There are signs on 1970 that Avishai Cohen, the bassist, just might fancy himself as the next Paul McCartney. Joking aside, Cohen is not averse to spreading his wings into song, but it’s been predominantly traditional Jewish Sephardic folk music rather than popular music. This, though, is Cohen’s first ever all-vocal album. Consisting mainly of English-language originals, a small selection of Hebrew folk songs, pop covers and a latin salsa classic (Eddie Palmieri’s ‘Vamonos Pa’l Monte’), it’s not the massive departure it might at first appear. Cohen’s instrumental music has always been close to song and shares in its communicative power; it’s a clue to his immense popularity all around the globe. Cohen’s shortcomings as a lead vocalist are evident but don’t take away from his calm, unaffected, quite angelic vocal and non-dramatised arrangements on originals and the cover of The Beatles’ ‘For No One’ – though the version of spiritual ‘I Feel Like A Motherless Child’ is a weaker effort. Among originals, ‘Emptiness’ takes up the 1970 theme with its Mamas & Papas-like psych-pop vibe and other originals channel something of Cohen’s love of soul music, especially Stevie Wonder. Fans of some of his excellent jazz instrumental albums might find little in this MOR adult-orientated song suite to get their teeth into here, but there’s no doubt he sprinkles a little of the Avishai magic on everything he touches.