Lotus Blooms

Jeremy Ellis' career has been semi-charmed up to this point: acclaim worldwide for his work under his Ayro moniker, remixes from the cream of the nu-jazz crop, and a full-length met with critical praise. Following a string of 12"s for Ubiquity and appearances on other artists' albums of like mind, Ellis returns with his first solo album under his birth name (what the difference is between his Ayro project and his name is unclear). Clocking in at 17 tracks, Lotus Blooms starts out promising enough but its length weighs the petals down and the album fails to grow from the soul garden from which it came. The drum programming would have been groundbreaking during the first wave of broken beat's popularity, but now it's all too familiar and formulaic for die-hard loyalists to the sound. The piano playing is that of a musician familiar with his chosen instrument and confident in his playing, but relies far too much on a showcase of analog synths, piano, and keyboards to show off his dexterity. What's most unfortunate about Lotus Blooms is that Ellis rarely relies on his greatest asset — the very thing that made him so distinct in a pack of homogeny: his voice. There are moments here where Ellis truly shines and is in top form, but they're so few and far between that it becomes more of an exercise in listening than an easy enjoyment on the ears.