I realised on listening to this album that I’d never actually sat down and listened to an album of lounge jazz. I’d heard such music of course – at clubs and as background noise to particularly euro-centric coffee shops – but never owned, or felt the desire to own, an album from the genre of lounge jazz. After the first few tracks of Far Away Places I immediately realised why.

Far Away Places is the latest in Janet Seidel’s long discography, spanning over eighteen releases so far. The album pulls together a wide collection of songs form all across the world, including Cuba (La Paloma), Japan (Suzukake no Michi), and America (Take The A Train). Every track on this album is realised in a similar stripped down, soulful iteration. Seidel is surrounded by a host of talented musicians here. Aside from the trio regulars Chuck Morgan and David Seidel, Fabian Hevla and Hamish Stuart both contribute some solid percussion work across half the tracks.

Solid is really the only apt descriptor here. There isn’t anything wrong with the music, the performances are earnest and nuanced, but at the same time it doesn’t really give you anything to pay attention to (with the exception of a bouncy version of Too Darn Hot, which mercifully breaks out from the familiar mid-tempo plod). About halfway through I had forgotten I was even listening to a recording, and for the life of me I can’t figure out why I would pay for music I barely even notice is playing. Despite some fine performances Far Away Places never really offers a solid argument for its existence.