"The Brand New Heavies," Brand New Heavies (1990)

NICK DERISO: Before they ran into GangStarr and started incorporating hip-hop elements into their sound, the Brand New Heavies were this retro-groove group with a hipster singer named N'Dea Davenport.

As brilliant as she was during a too-brief tenure, in particular on the singles "Dream Come True" and "Never Stop," I'm drawn more these days to the band's feel-good jazz instrumentals. When the Heavies stretch out, they sound like something, well, brand new. And, boy, do they enjoy it, egging each other on, laughing and clapping -- like an ageless Blue Note session you'd never heard.

Multi-instrumentalist Andrew Levy, who also produces, helped fashion something that recalled funky fusion sometimes, a new take on contemporary R&B sometimes, and something else entirely sometimes. That helped sell a then-new London-based synthesis, soon known as "acid jazz," overseas.

"Sphynx" sounds like Stevie Wonder having a talk about spirituality with John Coltrane. "BNH" adds some Blackbyrds groove, then "Gimme One of Those" goes one better: These guys are out Isaac Hayes-ing Isaac Hayes. "Put the Funk Back in It" speaks for itself.

This led directly to popularizers of the retro-groove like Jamiroquai and Erykah Badu who've since become more well-known. And, perhaps inevitably, to a reunion with Davenport -- whose breathy, romantic "Ride in the Sky" from this album remains an over-looked delight.

She returned a decade after leaving the band and, together again, the old-school Brand New Heavies released 2006's "Get Used To It."



Purchase: The Brand New Heavies - Brand New Heavies