The presence of no fewer than 15 tracks on this long-awaited debut by one of the pivotal drummers in contemporary black music, be it jazz, soul or hip hop, says much about the leader’s mindset. Although he was proving his virtuosity as a fresh faced youngster with both Mint Condition and Kenny Garrett way back in the 1990s, Dave is not out to display any ‘chops’ here. There are no extended solos in which his polyrhythmic invention scales giddy heights. Chris Dave & The Drumhe dz is a radio-friendly, song-based session where melody and post-production – astute layering and sculpting of sounds in the mix – are as important as what takes place in the ‘live room’. In other words, there are echoes of the work of some of Dave’s previous collaborators – i.e. Robert Glasper and Maxwell – but the input of vocalist Bilal Oliver, also an associate of the aforementioned, has resulted in some fine compositions. They are deeply soulful, yearning downtempo numbers, often with whirring synth fanfares and an undertow of heavy bass that actually gives Dave the opportunity to show how effectively he can do short, precise fills and bring colour to a breakdown, skills that are all too often undervalued. Straddling the worlds of pop and art, this is a set that takes a few listens to really sink in, as the ingenuity of the leader and collaborators is really in the blink-and-miss detail rather than headline soloing.