In A Mood [LP]

Slow Dancer's second full-length record is a smooth and soulful exploration of relationships and the uncertainty that surrounds them. The sultry confidence of the album's sound sits in stark contrast to its lyrics, which are shaped by the razor's edge of romance--the courtship, the small expressions of love, the existential crises. Frontman Simon Okely doesn't share full stories so much as snapshots, trickling out details and allowing listeners to shape the narrative. On "I Would," an Astral-Weeks-era Van-Morrison-esque dreamy folk song, Okely's silky baritone leaps and prances with the grace of a ballerina as he pleads his case to his subject ("They don't usually see the things you know I would"). Even the track's title is a hypothetical, peeling back the curtain on a connection that may or may not progress. "It Goes On," like many of the songs here, is defined more by seduction, leveraging a jazz/R&B fusion to craft a sizzling atmosphere. The album has remarkable cohesion; its consistent in its mood and sound, and is concerned less with providing audiences with unforgettable individual tracks. In other words, it's best listened to in its entirety. It might benefit from a little more diversity--"I Would" is a welcome variation on the bluesy jazz sound that defines In A Mood, but there isn't a great deal of variation otherwise--but even so, the sound is irresistible enough that it is an undeniably worthy listen, and an especially perfect soundtrack for a night at home with the lights dimmed.