"New Star", first in the three-part "Star Suite", hints at the subtle tension to be found in MG4's blend of classical Latin samba and bossa nova, early '90s acid jazz and contemporary 2-Step beats from the clubs of London: "Surrounded by ghosts of the past/With traditions and a culture that last/Through centuries her ancestors cast/She wants only to grow up fast/And be a part of the mass." The album's production is cutting-edge, combining the above-mentioned styles along with a smattering of hip-hop and drum 'n' bass beats, acoustic guitar, piano and a string section; even the vocals are globally focused, a trilingual blend of English, Spanish and Portuguese. American ears will most likely recognize N'Dea Davenport, formerly of the almost-famous acid jazzers Brand New Heavies and now a solo artist in the resurgent soul crowd. She joins Brazilian great Tania Maria and her countryman Ed Motta, Portuguese rapper Lino Crizz, Japanese chanteuse Monday Michiru and former Groove Theory member Amel Larrieux on an eclectic album that's as well-suited to the dance floor as it is to the living room.

Now that cross-cultural experiments have become commonplace, it might not surprise you that the mastermind of this thoroughly enjoyable melange, and the sole permanent member of Mondo Grosso, is Japanese musician and producer Shinichi Osawa; the surprise is that anyone could hold together this unpredictable set, which sprawls its musical synthesis over nearly 80 minutes and sixteen tracks (including one bonus remix). Torch songs mingle with New Jack Swing and quiet club tracks reminiscent of Everything But the Girl. The level of craftmanship displayed on MG4 (Mondo Grosso's fourth album, natch) is nothing short of remarkable, as Osawa's music reaches for heights at once exuberant and precise. A list of highlights risks missing much of the subtle intelligence that flows through these tracks, but a few standouts can't be ignored: "MG4BB" plays out over five minutes of pure, jumping scatting from "the queen of Brazilian jazz", Tania Maria; Davenport adds a sultry vocal to the stuttering 2-Step of "Show Me Your Love"; "Now You Know Better" exudes a quiet longing within a sweeping neo-soul framework.

The downside for such a long, ambitious piece of musical nesting -- a strand of melody from here, a string of beats from there -- eventually becomes evident. A couple of tracks don't quite hang together as more than pastiche, and -- despite the assertion above -- there are a few eight minute songs that will undoubtedly prove more effective in the middle of a packed club (at least in the chill-out room) than in the comfort of your own home. Seventy-eight minutes for a single album is a bit much to ask of the average attention span, although MG4 doesn't really seem to have been designed for that kind of linear listening experience. Osawa and Mondo Grosso have dug a sparkling pool that's as deep as it is wide, and in the end, where you dive in doesn't really matter.