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.

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More About

• Eric Moon
• Brian McRae
• Bijoux Barbosa
• Lalo Schifrin
• Spyro Gyra

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 mid-tempo 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.