Like most leading instrumentalists Joe Locke has a bundle of projects on the go. Recent efforts include the chamber-jazz Storms/Nocturnes trio with Tim Garland, the more straightahead Force of Four and a Milt Jackson tribute – Locke's tone retains the great vibraharpist's soulful heart and resonance. This release has a fusion bent with chunky riffs from bassist Mike Pope and powerhouse beats courtesy of Terreon Gully. Co-leader Geoffrey Keezer delivers the tricky stabs and complex lines – he saves the rampage for full-climax solos like that on ‘Darth Alexis’, an album highlight. Locke is on top form, hovering sinuously on a ballad one moment, reeling off lines with fourmallet precision the next. And Keezer plays with the same flamboyance that lit up Ronnie's on his last visit. They really sound good together. But what makes the album a real standout is the way the rhythm section holds the form while bending the pulse. The title track and an atmospheric ‘Naima’ are full of trickery, and only an excursion into pop fails to lift.