No horses were scared in the making of this album. Malija's pedigree and potential for high creativity is superb, but this second album lacks a catalytic spark, as if mutual pleasure in playing left no one ready to step out of line. No issue is forced or strange territory found, in a record which is neither more nor less than pleasant. Noble's tense piano overture to ‘Moon Stairs’, Høiby's tiptoe climb of the titular steps and Lockheart's closing, cockerel-cluck sax exert a little grip. There's some intrigue to ‘Sanctuary’, too, beginning with its title, and the breathy penumbra around Lockheart's notes as they pick out its melancholy melody, while Høiby dances around him. ‘Mila’'s gauzy, soft-spun ballad isn't unappealing. Nor is anything else, really, as the players stretch out over repetitive, amiably melodic figures, in no hurry to get anywhere over the seven minutes of ‘Hung Up’, and relaxed, very often, to a fault. Malija's gentle, post-bop tunefulness is the staple diet of many jazz clubs up and down the land. It isn't unreasonable to ask for more, as these fine players return to another unremarkable head, low on energy, and never seeming quite fully awake.