Matt Ridley was an in-demand bass sideman on the circuit before the pandemic crisis took hold, but he's also quietly established himself as a composer-leader with a couple of albums to his name on the Whirlwind label exploring middle eastern music, folky chamber jazz and other latin influences. This is the third recording and, in spite of the title, it was recorded previous to lockdown. It brings to light the bassist-composer's earliest rock influences while not undermining his lyrical, memorable folk-y themes or sophisticated jazz sensibilities. The ensemble contains two young musicians of a traditional jazz-rooted lyricism that this writer has enthused over in the past couple of years: Alex Hitchcock and Tom Hewson and their playing on The Antidote is engaging and open minded in response to Ridley's broad canvas of influences. The guitarist Ant Law adds a fresh electric flavour to Ridley's organic mix of classical, jazz and rock but it's steered well clear of any jazz-rock hybrid by Ridley. It's one of the strongest releases by homegrown jazz talent in 2021 so far.