THE HERBALISER are all about moving forwards, onwards and upwards. Bonding over a shared love of jazz, funk, rare groove and hip-hop in the early 1990s, West London duo JAKE WHERRY and OLLIE TEEBA have always evolved with each chapter in their 15-year story. One listen to the show-stopping, roof-raising talents of 22-year-old Londoner JESSICA DARLING will explain why, for the first time, The Herbaliser have brought a single main vocalist into the band line-up. Her timeless voice will blow you away!

The album marks a more collaborative approach to the band's mus ic. Jake and Ollie remain the musical nucleus but they’ve opened up the songwriting to Jessica, plus their regular EASY ACCESS ORCHESTRA collaborators RALPH LAMB and ANDY ROSS. Legendary bass guitarist PINO PALLADINO whose unrivalled career includes playing with everyone from DE LA SOUL to ERYKAH BADU to THE WHO, also plays on four tracks. As always, their long tradition of showcasing talented rappers from both sides of the Atlantic remains. Their latest discoveries include London-based YUNGUN Aka ESSA on the steampowered funk locomotive “Just Won't Stop” and Toronto's MORE OR LES weaves hyperkinetic high-speed rhymes into the exotic melodies of “Game Set & Match”. JEAN GRAE also makes a stunning return on “Street Karma”, an intoxicating blend of upbeat 1970s funk and downbeat urban poetry.

Jazzy instrumentals also remain a Herbaliser forte. Their love for the lush cinematic soundscapes of JOHN BARRY, DAVID AXELROD and QUINCY JONES still informs the opulent grooves of “The Next Spot”, the playfully cheeky “Amores Bongo”, the broody, jazz-noir prowl of “Blackwater Drive” and the epic climax of the gorgeously sensual final track, “Stranded On Earth”.