"Fusion is a highly evident practice in today's musical world: rock and rap, reggae and hip-hop, and so on, give both musicians and listeners a jones for something new. Enter Times4, a group which ably combines funk, hip-hop, and jazz, among others, into their fun, smooth album, Seductivity.

While every track is entirely instrumental, all nine songs give the musicians the ability to speak. The improvisation gives an inherent voice and creativity to each musician and puts their talent on display. Straight out of the gate, with the first track, Blue 5, Kevin Lofton's bass walks the length of the album and sets up a sturdy backbone for his band mates to follow. If Lofton is the skeleton, then drummer Maurice Miles and keyboardist Greg Sankovich are the muscles and the blood pumping through the veins.

That comparison leaves saxophonist Lincoln Adler as the vital organs (no pun intended) of the foursome. His skills are well polished, and his music is smooth, strong, and stands out on several tracks. His additions to the improvisations alsmot seems as if they're thought out several steps beforehand. Adler does take his turn out of the spotlight, however, and mixes in the background with his mates in a relxas, supporting jam session.

All four members of the quartet bring something different to the album and create a jazz that defies any conventions about the genre. With Seductivity, Times4 has truly created an album that everyone - all ages and musical tastes - can come together and simply enjoy.