The latest CD release reviewed

4 HERO
Play with the Changes Raw Canvas ***

Broad and deep, 4 Hero's first new album in yonks is an exploration of the many soulful sounds which veteran producers Dego McFarlane and Marc Clair hear in their heads. Once the most adventurous drum'n'bass outfits around (check their expansive Two Pages album from 1998), 4 Hero now swim in a much deeper sonic pool. While Play with the Changes is not quite as ambitious as 4 Hero might have intended it to be, it's still a fine statement of how their brand of strung-out soul, slow-motion funk and shimmering jazz can create much euphoria. Vocal adds from Carina Andersson (the woman who did a Minnie Ripperton turn for 4 Hero's take on Les Fleur) on Morning Child and from Darien Brockington on Give In are the soulful high points here, bookmarking a series of tracks that attempt to fence in all manner of London-centric rubs. www.myspace.com/4hero   Jim Carroll