Plunky & Oneness go the smooth-jazz route on Forever in a Moment (N.A.M.E. Brand), and the result isn’t entirely successful. The group’s funky, genre-spanning sound is here smoothed out into a series of mostly mellow tunes that are pleasant but feel too much like background music. There are highlights, however, like the title track, a hauntingly lovely ballad that showcases J. Plunky Branch’s eloquent saxophone. On the intimate ballad “Feels So Right,” Branch’s sax complements singer Tonya Lazenby-Jackson’s powerful voice, and on “Come With Me” an atmospheric keyboard bed cushions Branch’s lead vocals. “Brazilian Fantasy” is a blend of urban, smooth-jazz and Brazilian elements, and the band ups the tempo on “Just Up Ahead and to the Right,” a funk-fusion workout spiced with snappy sax.
Forever in a Moment is a good choice if you’re looking for an album to set a relaxing or romantic mood, but a band as capable of exciting, high-energy performances as Plunky & Oneness can certainly deliver more than just mood music.
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