Balancing artistic expression and commercial viability is not an easy task in music. One must make compromises or concessions. This is something White Plains composer and producer C’Batch, the stage name of Stephen Cumberbatch, seamlessly pulls off on “The Vault 4 – Cinematic”, a sprawling collection of tracks as fit for the dancefloor and night drives as they are for sync placements and corporate videos. This cross-compatibility is down to crystalline production, unpretentious melodies, and an insistence on digging into the core of what makes rhythmically focused music successful.

Admittedly, there is little grit here for those who like their music on the experimental or challenging side, but let your guard down and songs like “Clubadub (Cinder Circuit Game Board)”, with its succinct punch and insistently feel good solos, “Next Time (I Won’t Be Falling)” with its orchestral flair and sentimental arrangements, and “Cop the Night” with its groovy bass lines and disco-infused guitars, will enamour you without asking for anything in return.

Elsewhere on the jam-packed twenty-song collection, “Trina-Tina” exudes an infectiously upbeat nature, while “All for You” is perhaps the most musically impressive cut, guitar solos flaring across the stereo as a cool-as-a-cucumber rhythm section holds down the fort and a simple vocal line comes in to complement this mostly instrumental track.

Cumberbatch is a prolific artist who has been in the industry since 1984, founding Stevette Music, Inc with his partner Yvette. This recent collection belies his experience and is a youthful exploration into how wonderful music can be when it doesn’t take itself too seriously, all while being seriously good.

★★★★