You don't have to be a musician to have your sox blown off by Urban Sprawl, the debut CD of the Mike MacAllister Group. But if you are a musician, you'll still be blown away.

All the tracks showcase the talents of the bandleader, Mike MacAllister who is also composer, arranger and player. MMG takes you off on musical journeys and adventure. Here's what MacAllister has to say about the title track for the album. "Urban Sprawl. I describe this tune as quirky, atonal funk. There really isn't a better description. I asked Martha to learn the melody and bassline as a marimba solo, so we feature her as an intro to the song."

With musical influences that go from the African to Zappa, MMG's fusion is hard to pin down. Take the track Skoolwhich is interesting because it combines a very traditional sounding funk bassline with a syncopated chromatic melody. The bridge, on the other hand, is straight-ahead funk.

For you non-musician types, it boils down to this "the track be jammin'."

My favorite on the album is Stevie Wonderland which MacAllister didn't originally intend to be a tribute, but you hear the influences of Stevie's music in things like the funky marimba riff reminiscent of Stevie's clavinet lines.