Big Fish Audio - Off The Hook vol.1 (WAV\REX\AIFF)

Big Fish Audio's Off the Hook ($99.95; two-CD set) is all about contemporary R&B and hip-hop dressed to the nines in a silk suit. The collection is presented in the familiar construction-kit format: a short song leads off each track and is followed by its individual instrumental elements. The strength of this collection is its live feel; most of the samples are real-time performances.

The music skirts between fairly predictable adult-contemporary styles, hip-hop-flavored pop, and a bit of bluesy funk. Musicians who write songs in the style of Babyface or Najee will find plenty of appealing material. R&B singers of all stripes will most assuredly pull the CDs out of their libraries often, and rappers will also find many tracks to be ideal foundations to build on.

Overall, I like the construction-kit compositions. Many are sweet and melodic. For example, disc 2's leadoff track, “The Maestro,” is in E minor and has a soulful, medium-slow hip-hop groove. Some fine piano playing floats over the drums and percussion; portamento synth pads; strings; and squirrelly, legato, monophonic synth lines are layered throughout. The funky “Maryjane” has a Toots Thielemans — inspired chromatic harmonica over dope guitar, overdriven slap bass, and tremolo Rhodes — nice.