Album Review

Hailed as the poster-boys of British nu-jazz, Empirical have achieved a modest amount of acclaim, sales and awards in their relatively short history. Theyve won a MOBO award for Best Jazz Act, a BBC Jazz Award for Best Ensemble, garnered plaudits from the magazines Jazzwise and Mojo (and yes, won awards with them) and had none other than jazz-luminary Courtney Pine produce their eponymous debut-album back in 2007.

Their 2009 second-album, Out n In, paid unashamed homage to the great Eric Dolphy, yet with it followed drama the band went through heavy line-up changes, resulting in Mercury Music Prize-nominee Kit Downes exiting along with trumpeter Jay Phelps. Thus, this third-album is something of a foundation for the newly rejigged Empirical, now a quartet with guest pianist George Fogel installed on many tracks - sax, vibes and improvisation take precedence here, although Fogels inclusion proves to be a welcome appointment.

Elements of Truth is a blend of traditionalism and contemporary, which subtly borrows from the books of Shorter, Marsalis, Dolphy (again) and the band members own rich imaginations. The ten tracks have been created and compiled over the course of two years and demonstrate a cross-section of stylings and influences, from the brash free-jazz of In the Grill to the ambient atmospherics of Out of Sight, Out of Mind #1. A candidate for album cornerstone is the lyrical Simple Things, a piece that is by turns, atonal, funky, energetic and minimal and, for me, a perfect exercise in what Empirical are all about.

However, much of Elements of Truth seems to blur together with very little to differentiate from one track to another. Fine musicianship certainly, but a constant barrage of motifs and riffs will certainly alienate the curious or casual listener An Ambiguous State of Mind and the bonus tune Spitting Them Out, being a case in point. Thankfully though, most of this third album carries creative weight the title track is expressive and a triumph, Yin and Yang is a bold statement of intent and the opening Say What You Mean... sets the scene with a rather more languid take on the Empirical canon. Not quite the promised killer-album, but a step in the right direction.