It might seem unlikely but in Neighborhoods Dara again approaches the brilliance of his 1999 album In The World. Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dara was blowing cornet for jazzman David Murray and on all but two tracks of this album he lays down his guitar in favour of cornet and its mysterious wooden horn counterpart. The interlocking Afro-blues guitar parts are ably handled by Kwatei Jones-Quartey and Ivan Ramirez, while the keyboards sometimes stack up three-strong (Rhodes, Wurlitzer and Hammond!), with the omnipresent Dr John guesting on four cuts. Congolese percussionist Massamba gets paid a compliment on the eponymous opener, establishing the gumbo ratios with its infectiously stepping gait, female chorus rabble and cutting horns. Dara's throaty Caribbean vocal twang calls to mind that affected by Taj Mahal on his calypso outings, Olu's words apparently crafted as a virtual stream-of-consciousness, telling stories that hark back to when he was a boy. So, you can hear about the "Herbman" coming to town, or savour "Bell & Ponce (At The Movie Show)", the latter vividly calling up sharp pictures of the formative flick-going experience. The solo tracks with Dara on guitar feature some perfectly judged vocal overdubs, creating a web of languid phrases set against a cranky porch-string shimmer. Then Cassandra Wilson steps in on "Used To Be", her voice sympathetically deep-toned beside Dara's. Martin Longley