Reel to Reel

As the set's title implies, Shawn Lee looks back to the sounds of yesterday for this collection that spans a wide range of ideas and genres. Many of his albums focus on a particular theme. Lee reworked the '60s album Bongo Rock into Tabla Rock; he also produced a number of globe-trotting musical excursions into exotica such as Miles of Style and even issued a nod to synths called Synthesizers in Space. Reel to Reel has a range of sounds and textures that fall neatly into the category of library music: tracks created for soundtrack use. It’s vintage-flavored, with funky tunes like “Boomwack” and “The Definition of Funk” in search of a blaxploitation film. “Soho Chase” and “Daylight Robbery” move as swiftly as “The Fugitive” ever did on foot, while spaghetti western composer Ennio Morricone beams a proud smile onto “Song for Ennio.” The laid-back, downtempo tracks “Big Ben” and “Super Storage” almost work as tracks from the '10s, except for the strings, marimbas, and wah-wah pedals that conjure 1978. Put on Reel to Reel and call it martini time.