All My Life
Maysa Leak'sfirst album, in 1995, had an incredible--we're not kidding here--eight producers involved. It's just as amazing that executives at her former record company are still scratching their heads over why the most dominant voice out of England's late 1980s-early 1990s acid-jazz/funk didn't make it as a solo act. Hints can be found in the title of her long-awaited follow-up, for all the people involved here have been with Maysa throughout her professional life. American-born, Maysa became a star as lead singer of the bandIncognito, and she now sounds more comfortable than ever, in part because Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick took the production reins and held them tight. Maunick, the brainchild and leader of Incognito, is in a much better position to make Maysa's jazzy--yet soulful and funky--voice stand out on these 14 tracks, which have more hooks than Canadian fishermen in the North Atlantic. The record is a lot less jazzy than the usual Incognito album, which should make dance-music and urban-pop fans very happy. A reworking ofGil Scott-Heron's "The Bottle," based on the poet's live version with the African "guan-guanco" rhythms, is sure to be played heavily on radio and in clubs, as will theSade-sounding "Got to Be Strong" and the exquisite title track. Incognito fans should rush right to "Hooked on Your Love," "Compliments," and "Closure." They're among the last five tracks, where the more adventurous horn charts and drum-and-bass style flourish.--Mark Ruffin