3rd Force

For those who like their musical ethnicity in sugar coated doses, who fancy keeping their exotic vacations brief yet frolicsome, 3rd Force offers the appropriately breezy passport to the land of world beat lite. The three principal multi-instrumentalists -- producer William Aura, Craig Dobbin, and Alain Eskinasi -- write a slew of often delectable piano based lollipops, complementing the sweetness with either live or machine generated soundscaping which keeps the beats steady and appealing, if not particularly spontaneous. The most impressive aspect here is Aura's sharp aural blending skill. He'll use a zither harp to create an Eastern texture complemented by synth bass, then layer standout performances by Craig Chaquico's plaintive guitar, Gary Herbig's demonstrative sax, Jeff Elliot's moody trumpet, or Richard Tibbitt's tender flute. There's even a brief sitar interlude. We get hints here and there of different cultures, without genuine explorations that might overshadow the disc's clear, commercial sheen. Still even if the cameos are more engaging than the work of the group, it's hard to deny the easy pleasures of percussive new age. ~ Jonathan Widran