gogoLab

At first blush, gogoLab seems like pure shtick — an opportunity for keyboardist Eric Moon, bassist Bijoux Barbosa, and drummer Brian McRae to don suits, shades, and skinny ties and live out their spy-music fantasies. Turns out, though, these guys are talented enough to transcend their own gimmickry. The disc's title track is a case in point. The sprawling number opens and closes with atmospheric sound effects and a retro groove that does Lalo Schifrin proud — yet its middle section features an extended Moon solo that's served neat and goes down smooth. Elsewhere, "The Girl," with its midtempo rhythms and synthetic strings, and "The Face-off," a tune that injects some unexpected funk into its soundtrack-ready vibe, recall the days before the evil nemesis known as Spyro Gyra turned fusion into a dirty word. True, The Stakeout's sense of fun sometimes slips into silliness. But overall, gogoLab's experiment is more successful than anyone had a right to expect.