‘Jassbusters’ is one enigmatic record. The third solo album by Connan Hosford under his musical pseudonym of Connan Mockasin is conceptual, based around a group of music teachers.

The album is Mockasin’s first with a band and was recorded live at Studios Ferber in Paris over two years ago. It’s beautifully performed but hard to pin down stylistically – the closest identifying genre would be slow groove RnB mixed with a bit of 1980s MOR – notably on the single Con Conn Was Impatient, and the instrumental-and-spoken word B’nD.

There are other vintage touches. Momo’s, especially, has a more understated jazz feel with the sparse arrangements and analogue warmth of recording. However, much of ‘Jassbusters’ defies definition, as Mockasin is deftly melding genres and tones, creating something typically distinctive.

Designed to be watched with his five-part melodrama film Bostyn ‘n Dobsyn, where he plays Bostyn, ‘Jassbusters’ is one of Mockasin’s more accessible albums – very easy on the ear, and not as… eccentric has his most recent outputs.

While it might confuse those fans who enjoy his music being surreal and a bit more extreme, but this could be the album that brings Mockasin closer to the mainstream.