Love and Beyond [2 LP]

On Love and Beyond, Jay Haze fills in one of those gaps that sounds strange to fill -- if not downright unpromising. His take on house and house inspirations aren't splashiness frenetic enough to be exultant joy, but aren't restrained enough either to be the type of music one quietly meditates on at home. Call it music to play to get wound up for going out, or to come down slowly at the end of the night, with some standouts here and there on this album, if not anything truly deathless. Songs such as "Can't Forget," with a guest appearance by Dexter as well as a loping beat and distant, strange drones, and the straight-up electronic build and release of "Inner Hurt" (and to a lesser degree with the immediately following "Ass to Mouth") definitely show that Haze still has his skills. Otherwise there's a lot of pleasantly low-key rabble rousers like "Crackle and Pop" and "Vaporize" on offer, while the appearance of the collaboration with Villalobos, "Free Ride," on the CD version will be enough for some to seek out that track in particular. ~ Ned Raggett