Twenty years ago, the release of this celebration of the city of brotherly love by three of its most illustrious musical sons was supposed to be something of a game changer. On paper the meeting of Questlove, drummer with The Roots, bassist Christian McBride and keyboardist Uri Caine was the elusive perfect meld of hip-hop and jazz. Yet the record did not make as significant an impact as expected, leaving supporters of both camps rather underwhelmed.

Today's reassessment is perhaps kinder as the integrity of the playing shines through and the quality of the writing has not withered on the vine. The big question, though, is whether or not the trio can be as hard and funky as the conceptual premise moots. Questlove is a formidable master of staying in the pocket, McBride gives the low register muscle and finesse and Caine lays down customarily tasty Fender Rhodes licks. Yet the main problem is the mix, which on many tracks comes up too light, stripping the music of the heaviness that would do justice to the strength of the grooves. When the sound is really adequate, as on 'The Miles Hit, the music goes to another level, and it is a great shame that there is an inconsistency with regard to the engineering and mastering. There is some smart work here, but it feels undercooked in its present form, which means that if ever there was a case for a remix – by somebody who is up to the task and understands the potential common ground of the many vocabularies the players are negotiating – then it is here. Maybe the Experiment should not wind down just yet. There are beats to be made.