A BRAZILIAN LOVE AFFAIR

The most Brazilian Latin oriented album by Duke, even conventional funk had to retreat from the stage. To my pleasure, not only sounds the album as return to a great shape but also Duke feels revived when he plays keyboards. Maybe a higher inspiration thanks to a cast of Latin musicians. The album flows nicely, there aren't any great melodies; however it is well produced, executed and brings positive vibes. The combination of Latin-inspired Rhodes/electric piano, muscular bass and tight drumming is irresistible. Out of a couple of instrumentals, "Brazilian sugar" with a great trombone solo stands out; in addition, there are other numerous instrumental details in other tracks. "Sugar loaf mountain" even digs into Latin fusion with expressive drumming a la Mezzoforte a couple of years later.

Duke confirms that he was still hell of an instrumentalist at this stage and was able to combine various elements to create a work of high artistic quality.