The daughter of jazz piano great Mal Waldron rests on her own laurels with this delightful recording. Here, keyboardist/vocalist Mala Waldron fuses soul, funk and jazz during this studio date consisting of memorably melodic originals sans Jose Feliciano's "Light My Fire." It's a hybrid acoustic-electric set, amid some spunky moments, along with guitarist Steve Salerno's jazz-fusion style guitar licks. Nonetheless, Ms. Waldron successfully bridges that fine line between serious instrumental fare and pop-like viability. She overlays vocal choruses while injecting scat and soul-soaked lyricism into the overall proceedings. But, it's a democratic endeavor, where the soloists' receive ample stretching room.

Through blustery swing vamps, and dabs of classic Motown, Waldron's expressive diction and whispery delivery plays a prominent role. The band covers dreamy blues motifs and Latin rhythms, firmly entrenched within a groove oriented palate. On the catchy piece titled "Can't Stop Thinking About You," Salerno's sleek, and jazzy chord voicings accelerate a brisk swing vamp to coincide with Waldron's breezy but undeniably, zealous vocalizations. Topped off with sprightly ballads and other frameworks, this album rises a notch or two above the norm, especially when considering the seemingly endless flow of female jazz/pop vocalists cropping up these days. (Not to be overlooked...)