DJ Spinna

Many albums can’t easily be described as good or bad; instead, some linger, frustratingly, somewhere between greatness and mediocrity. Such is the case with DJ Spinna’s Intergalactic Soul. As one of the most talented (and underrated) producers of the past decade, and one who is equally capable of making great hip-hop, soul and house records, Spinna is too good to make a genuinely bad song. But many of his beats here simply don’t hit, whether because the drum track is too clunky (as on “Back 2 U”) or the music itself sounds bland (“Computer Love,” which apparently lifts several notes from Coldplay’s “Talk”). To his credit, Spinna elicits strong performances from vocalists like Stephanie McKay (“Peace and Quiet”) and N’Dea Davenport (“Where’s Your Love”), and “Living My Life” is a nice house banger. Intergalactic Soul isn’t his best work, but neophytes are encouraged to check out Spinna’s earlier, better albums like Heavy Beats, Vol. 1 and Here to There. 3 stars.

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DJ Spinna spins Thurs., July 6, at Django.