Eric Alexander gets to his inner John Coltrane from the first notes of ‘Just One of Those Things’ to the last throwaway cadenza that wraps up ‘Bessie's Blues’. But with no piano, and bass and drums delivering a springy counterpoint, the album has more of the feel, if not the content, of a Blue Note Elvin Jones trio

recording – Alexander is the dominant soloist and there are few exchanges between sax and drums. The set opens with a spiritual reading of ‘You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To’, its jaunty melody transformed into an impassioned lament for the album's highlight track. The tempo-switching title-piece is taken as a waltz, Alexander setting up the theme with a long sombre introduction. ‘Beautiful Love’, now a samba, delivers a playful contrast, ‘You Say You Care’ is a standard medium tempo lope while ‘Russian Lullaby’ swings super-fast. The set is rounded out by a brace of ballads and a plangent reading of Coltrane's ‘Wise One’. Alexander is very much on home territory, imaginatively unpicking the standard repertoire and throwing in a brace of Coltrane covers. His tone has the depth to bring the Broadway melodies to life, while his precise articulation and phrasing add rhythmic bite and sense of purpose. And he spins a nice line. Other than that, there's not too much else going on. Great showcase for Eric Alexander, though.