The Guardian – September 2007

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The-Quartet are a welcome addition to the UK jazz scene. Ex-Wang Chung guitarist-composer Jack Hues has a sound and attack that recalls Andy Summers, while his harmonic approach is reminiscent of Ray Crawford’s work for Gil Evans: instant cool.

Add to this a strong backline and saxophonist Paul Booth (on four of the six tracks) and you have a surprisingly refreshing reinvention: late-60S jazz-rock with the benefit hindsight, since we now know how it works. Producer Chris Hughes (Tears For Fears, Adam Ant) adds sheen, while leaving enough space for the live sound to come through.

The tunes are catchy and ingenious, from the post-bop of Nervous? to the jangling Magnolia Heights, while the asymmetric Brahms Blues grooves

as smoothly as Nucleus. But it’s the beguiling ballad Fallujah, complete with Wagner quote, that sticks in the brain, long after the album’s over. A grown-up debut, from an impressive composer. – John L Walters