or better or worse, we here at Stylus, in all of our autocratic consumer-crit greed, are slaves to timeliness. A record over six months old is often discarded, deemed too old for publication, a relic in the internet age. That's why each week at Stylus, one writer takes a look at an album with the benefit of time. Whether it has been unjustly ignored, unfairly lauded, or misunderstood in some fundamental way, we aim with On Second Thought to provide a fresh look at albums that need it.

Electronica. Dance Music. Jazz. Funk. All labels that have been freely placed upon inspirational Finland composer and producer Jimi Tenor. Tenor has, for a long period of time, created electronic music that draws strongly from less traditional jazz and funk backgrounds. If the French duo Air is the natural successor to 60s moog-keyboard aficionado Dick Hyman, then Tenor is the Jean-Jacques Perrey of the modern age.

Smoky horns open the album, as a funky groove slowly unwraps from underneath Tenor’s careful production. Numerous layers of analogue keyboards build up before Tenor’s playful vocals break in – closely following the melody of the opening track “Outta Space” – a real sing-a-long number, if ever there was one. It’s not the smoothest of openers, maybe being a little too cheesy for your hardened electronic critic. But that’s Tenor’s primary appeal -- he makes genuinely fun and approachable records, worthy of putting on at your next party, or if it's just a quiet night by the fire.

The album was recorded with all live musicians, with absolutely no sampling. In fact, Tenor’s successive albums he managed to bring the entire Orchestra of the Great Theatre Lodz (Poland) to complete proceedings – and yet this instrumentation never seems over the top or trite.

“Sugardaddy” shows Tenor’s aggressive side –- a fairly minimal track based almost completely on a dragging, repetitive synth bass-line and Tenor’s almost tremulous vocals, like a man on the edge. This is not your average funk song. Things get back on track immediately with “Never Say It Aloud”, another of Tenor’s Jazzy horn pieces, containing an elegant organ piece, a quirky synth riff and his usual array of keyboard banking tracks. You get the feeling you got your money’s worth whenever Tenor makes an album.

Quirkiness is one of the albums major traits, casually feeding off Rhodes keyboards against Prince-like crooning against rumba drum rhythms. Tracks like “Can’t Stay With You Baby” come off like Beck’s best attempts at emulating his funky predecessors, for the lounge elite. The album seldom gets past 2nd gear, preferring saucy and mysterious laid-back vibes to a more upbeat alternative.

Tenor pulls no stops on his crusade to bring the funk to the masses. His albums are not merely homages to the classic funk, soul and jazz styles – but truly original pieces in their own right. He comes across as being a classically trained jazz musician first, and modern dance producer second – producing great dollops of Stax records era funk at the drop of a hat. They may come off a bit passe or cheesy at first, but on each successive listen, you’ll discover new moments of beauty, in his many layers of funky keyboard riffs funky orchestration.

Intervision is the album I’d recommend to start with when it comes to Tenor, especially if you’re fond of Air’s brand of funky grooves. It’s a more flowing and natural album than both his previous or successive albums, and even though it may be less technically impressive than his 2000 release Out of Nowhere I feel it’s his most accessible and honest album in his body of work.