Magical Thinking is the third solo album from Antibalas guitarist Chico Mann (Marcos J. Garcia) and is as different from its predecessors as they were from one another. On 2007's Manifest Tone, Vol. 1, he melded Afro-Cuban, hip-hop, and neo-soul sounds with Afrobeat, and 2010's Analog Drift used Afrobeat as a basis for exploring the brightly lit funk (Prince, Sheila E, Talking Heads) and electro-dance music of the '80s. Magical Thinking still references the '80s, but Afrobeat gets pushed to the background this time. And though Prince's vamp-heavy, repetitive-groove consciousness is ever-present, Mann's digging deeper into the wonderfully hedonistic synth-drenched soul, post-disco, and the smooth club music of the period, as well as some deep Latin sounds. He's also writing better songs. The album's two finest moments feature his guest singers. Annakalmia Traver delivers a honey of a performance on set opener "Comes and Goes." With a pervasive synth riff up front, underscored by an equally keyboard-centric bassline (Dâm-Funk anyone? Mann's played with him), it's drenched in funky soul and tight guitar vamps as she glides over the top, smooth and sultry. Kendra Morris fronts "Same Old Clown," which employs Prince's hook-first aesthetic to near excess, but never falls over the edge, and her airy vocal delivers the lyric with a slightly detached sense of confident cool. Mann's rhythm tracks and his perfect balance of guitar synth and bass create an irresistible groove. A crunchy, Syn-drum loop introduces the call-and-response chorus on the uber-funky "Magic Touch," and recalls the best of Tommy Boy funk. "Esta Bueno" combines Harlem-centric Latin funk with electro, and "Estrellitas (Little Stars)" indulges full-blown Detroit techno as a vehicle for salsa. The way Mann weaves soul, electro, synth funk, and club in "One Day Late" is infectious. The burning "Vengo a Ti" is almost electro-descarga. Closer "Oye, Mira" is a wonderful tapestry as Kraftwerk-ian electronics, Afrobeat guitar riffs, gritty salsa, and smooth soul carry the record off into space. While Mann's inspirations clearly lie in the musical past, and his greatest skill as both a composer and producer is finding new ways of combining familiar elements, each of these cuts carries his own distinctive fingerprint, making the album a solid groover, top to bottom. ~ Thom Jurek
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