Established bandleaders and in-demand sidemen, pianist Hays and guitarist Loueke, make a formidable combination. They strike a good balance in terms of both the number of songs each contributes to this set and the solo space allocated on every piece, so that the performance feels like much more of a union than a negotiation for centre stage, as can sometimes be the case if the players are lacking real chemistry. The clef de voute is the gorgeous anthem ‘Milton’, a tribute to the Brazilian legend Milton Nascimento, which vividly captures his spirit. The understated but insistent pulse, the fragile finesse of the wordless vocal and the poetic undercurrent of the melody are quite beautiful. Given Loueke's use of a nylon string guitar, whose fingerpicked phrases have a folk-blues crispness, and Hays' willowy threads of single notes it is no surprise that the music has an ethereal beauty, which is often marked by Afro-Latin grooves and lyrical improvisation that indirectly channels Chick Corea and Pat Metheny, as well as Nascimento With the occasional use of Hays' voice, as well as percussive effects created by Loueke tapping on the body of his guitar and clicking his tongue, the sound canvas matches subtlety with a rhythmic and melodic strength, which gives the set a populist appeal, at no cost to any artistic integrity.