The problem with downtempo music is that there’s simply an overabundance of it on the market today, and it becomes tedious to separate the wheat from the chaff in most circumstances. But within this flood of titles there are a few labels that have consistently released music that is worthy of attention rather than merely convenient pigeonholing. In keeping with their manifesto to release quality lounge and downtempo music, the gang at Eighteenth Street Lounge has unleased a monster with The Power of Suggestion, the first full-length by acclaimed duo Karminsky Experience for the label. Like many of its contemporaries (Ursula 1000, Dimitri from Paris, Gentle People), Karminsky owns up to the influences of decades past, paying homage to such names as Mancini and Bacharach throughout The Power of Suggestion, while also melding live instrumentation with subtle electronics and sharp drum programming. The wide variety of songwriting and arranging is top-notch and would easily find a home in most hipsters’ record collections and every swinging bachelor pad to 1956 and back again. It’s solid music to have on the background for laid-back martini parties or late-night/early-morning comedown music after a night out on the town, and pays proper homage without the fromage. – Rob Theakston