After their previous so-so third album NUFOUNDFUNK, King Kooba refinds its footing with INDIAN SUMMER, which manages to blend the hip-hop sensibility of their third album with the melodic and jazz elements that made their first two albums stand out. "Honey Locust," for example, is a beautiful rattling lounge piece, while "Losing You" and "If I Could" are R&B tracks that stand above anything on NUFOUNDFUNK. "Indian Summer" is a long deep house track and pulsates with the best of them, and "Blue Mosque" has sporadic Arabic instruments playing over a broken beat. "Salutation" has a rattling rhythm underscoring the long string pulls and horns that contrast with the jazzy interlude in the center of the track. "Public Service" continues the jazzy feel with some simple guitar chords and a vocal sample of two folks talking about jazz. And, finally, "Want Your Love" and "You Don't Know" combine the two competing strands of the album (the jazzy breaks and the R&B) into a cohesive whole. It's a welcome return to form for King Kooba.