Richard Bona's debut solo album Scenes from My Life is an unexpected delight, a first effort of such assurance that it's nearly irresistable. Bona blends a smooth production with fusions of contemporary jazz and music from his native country, Cameroon, West Africa. He has a warm, fluid style on bass and his voice is pure, high and lovely. To some undiscriminating ears, it may sound a little too smooth, but there is no calculation behind this music, only joy, and that is what makes Scenes from My Life a first-class debut.