Review

With Tha' Hot Club: Tha' Real Hip-Hop Smooth Urban Jazz!, the title pretty much explains exactly what the listener can expect. The funky tunes with occasional vocals by Dequina Moore are performed by a shifting lineup of players, including keyboardist Kim Waters, saxophonist David Mann, bassist Davy D, guitarist Wayne Bruce, and several others. The arrangements are fairly straightforward and predictable, as the players delve into a '70s groove to concoct a smooth blend of urban jazz perfect for dancing or cruising the strip. While an instrumentalist occasionally stands out (Chieli Minucci's guitar work in "Party to Damascus" and Mann's saxophone in "Frontin'"), this music is more about finding the rhythm and sticking with it. Moore's vocals, like the instrumentalist's contributions, mostly consist of repeated phrasings (like threatening to take her clothes off) that add to the overall texture of pieces like "Right Thurr" and "Hot in Heere." Tha' Hot Club was produced by Davy D, Danny Weiss, and Kim Waters, and mixed by Davy D. While nothing here is likely to break any new ground in hip-hop or urban smooth jazz, it will probably please fans of any of the players involved as well as serve as adequate background music for a '70s theme party.