The debut from Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band, a disco album for people who hate disco, offered an ingenious blend of Latin, big band, and contemporary rock-pop. You’ll find all of those elements on this follow-up, but the result isn’t nearly as listenable.

Certainly, August Darnell continues to paint fascinating lyrical landscapes of the urban underworld on the sophomore set, which is called Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band Meets King Penett. And Cory Daye still delivers the brand of effervescent, seductive vocals that helped to make the first album so appealing. But the ambitious present set doesn’t synthesize its stylistic elements as well as the previous LP did, and nothing here proves as indelible as the earlier “Cherchez La Femme” or “I’ll Play the Fool.” Pray for better hooks.