One of the few female singers to write her own material, Christine Xu brings a fresh mix of lyricism and wordless vocals together on this creative collection of post bop originals. She teams herself with the flexible and simpatico collection of Chris Chen/g, Wenjun Wu/b and Yongheng Wu/dr, who are able to create moods for Xu’s flexible rhythmic voicings as on the bopping elliptical “Entrance” all the way through to the funky “Exit”. Xu uses her voice as a true instrument, peppy and upbeat as she works around guitar and bass on “Love Suffers Long” and flexibly swings around Chen’s edgy guitar on “From the Rising of the Sun”. Using lyrics, she’s fragrant and clear on a gentle “Christine in Wonderland” and warmly rounded a la Chris Connor as she floats around Chen on a pastoral “Tranquil”. She combines vocal stylings over Wu’s suave brush work on “Can Not Deny” and produces a meditative recitation of Scripture fit for reflection on a pensive “Ask, Seek, Knock”. Ideas open up on this album like pedals of a rose.