Planning this, his fourth album as leader on Blue Note, Joel Ross set out to connect with a wider audience, to make things a little easier for listeners. The vibraphonist and composer says that, with hindsight, his previous work for the label has been too focused on the musicians in his band and rife with devices such as time and tempo changes which may have limited appeal for lay listeners. Thinking about the album during pandemic-enforced social isolation, Ross says that the idea of communion with a wider base became increasingly attractive.

Crucially, Ross has succeeded in this without dumbing anything down. The music is still grown-up and innovative but is injected with a heightened admixture of melodicism, balladeering and, as the album title suggests, the blues. The result is cerebral yet soulful, with enough depth to keep even the most demanding of Ross' existing aficionados tuned in. Check out the title track on the YouTube below.

The latest iteration of Ross' Good Vibes band is a quintet completed by alto saxophonist