From the opening moments of Can’t Cool, Berlin-based Burnt Friedman’s fourth long-player, you can sense that he’s broadened his horizons even further and that the album is going to be funky as shit. From the slow dub jams to the fractured and minimal beats The Nu Dub Players understand the use of space in rhythm, and each instrumental part envelops its own musical position. Like earlier releases, the influences of Lee Perry’s psychedelic mix-down techniques and King Tubby’s booming atmospheres are strong in Friedman’s work, but there is a Delta-fried blues presence in the sincere vocals of guests Don Abi and Patrice. As Friedman’s journey to defy categories continues, we listeners luck out on his expansive tastes.