Lifeboats & FolliesGalaxia ***

San Francisco's Tommy Guerrero has been weaving slow-motion musical spells for years on sweet albums such as Little Bit of Somethin'and Soul Food Taqueriaand, more recently, the Lord NewbornThe Magic Skulls collaboration with Shawn Lee and Money Mark. What we always get from the former professional skateboarder is a bunch of gritty electronic blues with fizzy figments of funk, jazz, hip-hop and soul. Lifeboats Follies is decked out in similar shades, an album of rich, widescreen sounds that puts you right in the middle of the action as Guerrero mixes up soft-shoed, slowly marinated soundscapes overflowing with juicy sunny-side-up grooves and deep, fat-free soul. This time around, his compositional chops make for a more expansive, more intense wash of sounds. As the years go by, this dude just gets better and better. See tommyguerrero.com

Download tracks: Cut the Reins, Bullfights on Broadway