The Anglo-American supergroup The Impossible Gentlemen's third CD on Basho Records hits you right between the eyes with its mix of seductively sing-a-long melodies, classy arrangements and tastefully succinct improvisation.

The recording sees an extension of the instrumental palette with the addition of woodwind all-rounder Iain Dixon and Gwilym Simcock at his most versatile on various keyboards and tuned percussion instruments, as well as acoustic piano. The extra layer of sound is subtly and effectively woven into the arrangements as opposed to providing background fill. The Metheny Group-like opening title track's memorable hook has the new full-time bassist and long-time Pat Metheny Group member Steve Rodby laying down one of the most deliciously snaky electric funk bass lines you’ll hear for a long time. There are echoes of Chick Corea and Return to Forever on ‘A Fedora for Dora’ and it's not hard to imagine Donald Fagen singing raspy vocals over the excellent ballad ‘It Could Have Been A Simple Goodbye’, the co-writers Simcock and Walker's tribute to pianist John Taylor. The Impossible Gentlemen might not feature too high on the hipster scale compared to an electric Brit jazz ensemble such as Troyka but the Sco-influenced grunge-funk of ‘Dog Time’ with growling dog samples is something that the aforementioned trio might well have been happy to come up with. ‘Terrace Legend’, about an unlikely Stoke City FC kit man, has a Zawinulesque African-flecked groove while the contrasting closing piece ‘Speak To Me Of Home’ is reminiscent of Simcock's sometime pastoral chamber trio Acoustic Triangle, with Dixon taking his only solo on soprano sax very well. It's a brighter, more uplifting and assertive album compared with the previous two, but just as sophisticated.