A group that's been around for 50 years or so, but who never seems to have trouble reinventing themselves throughout the years at a whim. Known for having some of the tightest vocal harmonies of all time (especially in the world of vocal jazz), there's a joyous sense of reinvention and experimentation in regards to melody on The Junction that it's hard not to get swept up in their exuberance if you get in the right frame of mind.

Female lead Janis Siegel is a big bright spot, with a distinctive whistle register that contrasts really beautifully against the lead male singers, especially on opening bopper 'Cantaloop (Flip Out!)' and the slinking 'Blues For Harry Bosch'. But where this album really wins is the jazzier, more laidback cuts -- the bossa nova kissed 'Sometimes I Do' and the ephemeral closer 'The Paradise Within (Paradise Found)' are both sublime examples of mood spectacle. A rich experience overall and a bit of a dark horse that rose to the top of my list over several months before I even realized it.