Mandrill-Just Outside Of Town (1973)

This album was the fourth by the African-American band Mandrill, their second release in 1973, and it continued their exploration of ethnic sounds adorned with funk, jazz, rhythm and blues, and Latin rhythms, styles they had already experimented with on their previous album, "Composite Truth". The album features an exciting mix of sounds driven by the horn section, as evidenced in the energetic funk track "Mango Meat". The fusion with exotic ethnic music is evident in "Never Die", the Caribbean-infused "Fat City Strut", and the melodic jazz-rock of "Africus Restrospectus". Other highlights include the jazzy "Love Song" and the Mediterranean-tinged instrumental "Aspiration Flame". While creatively a step below their earlier releases, this record remains a consistent and quite solid effort.