Ocote Soul Sounds

The difficulty with Afrobeat is that if you're not in the mood to lose yourself in a groove, there's precious little to grab onto. What's so interesting about Ocote Soul Sounds' project -- and what they do especially well on their third album -- is they mix up a fascinating concoction of jam genres: Afrobeat, yes, but also Latin rock, acid jazz, and (on the lovely "Vendendo Saude") bossa nova. It sounds like a heady brew, but somehow the multi-genre mix tightens the groove, requiring Ocote to maintain a precise attention to detail in order to balance all the elements of their hybrid aesthetic.