Shawn Lee, Soul in the Hole

Shawn Lee has always been one of the more popular neo-funk musicians of the '00s, but he's also been one of the shtickiest. Occasionally, the American-born, England-dwelling multi-instrumentalist (he credits his projects to his "Ping Pong Orchestra," a reference to "bouncing" tracks to allow for more overdubbing), hit his groove just right — witness "Song for David," from 2007's Voices and Choices, an absolutely ace tribute to soundtrack-funk king David Axelrod. Unfortunately, the rest of that album, as well as ultra-kitschy follow-ups like A Very Ping Pong Christmas: Funky Treats From Santa's Bag and the covers album Hits the Hits, suffered from a fatal case of the cutes.

None of that applies to Soul in the Hole, which is credited "Shawn Lee Presents," for good reason. Rather than making his nerdy passion for old-time R&B into something he can't stop goofing on, Lee lays back, and sticks to doing what he does best — crafting letter-perfect replicas of creamy, Civil Rights-era soul. Everything about "Jigsaw," from vibes that invert the lead line of the Rolling Stones '"Under My Thumb" to its grunting baritone sax and fuzz guitar, is perfectly placed, as is Nicole Willis's sweet-and-sour, somewhat raspy vocal. A slow one like "Too Tired to Sleep" sounds both heartfelt and expert. Maybe best of all is "Cruel Woman," which nails the moment when funk slid into disco somewhere around 1974, Fanny Franklin singing "Don't mess with me/I'll chop you down like a tree" more sweetly than you can imagine.