The intermittent superhero theme as well as underlying statement of African-American identity of this album is fitting in the year of BlackPanther. In any case saxophonist Strickland, as he showed on 2017’s excellent Nihil Novi, has a comprehensive and inclusive take on black culture, particularly its electric music, which has enabled him to craft a vocabulary that makes good use of the hard edge and vibe power of his illustrious predecessors. In real terms, that means a grippingly personal take on the backbeat and riff culture that connects gospel to funk, with the wily use of Mitch Henry’s Hammond organ and Strickland’s horn lending a contemporary sharpness to patented familiarities, none more so than on the irresistibly catchy ‘Relentlessness’, whose roll’n’tumble theme sounds very much like a sly re-harmonisation of the JBs at their creative peak. At the other end of the spectrum, Strickland does sensuality well, with several of the reflective, mid-tempo numbers really standing out for their ethereal arrangements, as well as fine guest vocalists, such as the outstanding Akie Bermiss on ‘Marvellous’, which wears its title well. Since his debut many years ago in bands led by such as Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts and Dave Douglas, Strickland has impressed as a player, but this mature piece of work shows that his skills as a composer and thinker are really beginning to hit the heights.