Two years after ‘Reckless (For Your Love)’ hit the clubs, the Azari & III album finally arrives. And what’s most surprising is just how straightforward it is. At times it sounds like a lost Steve Hurley record. Fans of a certain age will shed tears of nostalgic joy. But Azari & III aren’t just the house Strokes. The production is precise, and in Fritz and Cedric, the outfit has two soulful vocalists. That the album takes a mid-period slump when they’re not singing is not a coincidence. Trim a few tracks and you’ve got a record that’s informed by the past, but not in thrall to it.
7/10
Words by WILL SALMON
