Albums: Beady Belle

Home, Jazzlands/Universal

What's left to be done with drum'n'bass? In Oslo they make it into jazz, or sort-of-jazz anyway. This gorgeous summer album by the Norwegian duo of singer Beate and bassist/knob-twiddler Marius Reksjo is really more like good old-fashioned classy pop, but that doesn't mean it's entirely light and fluffy. Against layered backgrounds of string washes and drum'n'bass or techno-lite beats, Beate sings with Nordic soul on a series of real songs with proper hooks that painlessly worm their way into your consciousness.