ACT ONE

The debut album of electro-R&B duo Marian Hill is a master class in seduction. Singer Samantha Gongol's sultry purrs slink around producer Jeremy Lloyd's minimal, bassy beats, as bursts of lonely sax give off a sweet scent of sexy mystique. "Down" turns a jazzy piano number into a deep, stuttering groove, while "I Know Why" channels ivories through a James Blake-esque noir vision. It all intoxicates at a slow, steady pace, even when Gongol turns up the sass to En Vogue-like levels on "Sad Song."