*** Sidestepper, “More Grip,” Palm Pictures.

Think of this record as the kind of vulnerable love letter a man might write to the object of his affection without expecting anything in return. The man in question is British record producer and salsa aficionado Richard Blair. The recipient is Colombia and its bewitching music scene.

After producing a session with diva Toto La Momposina for Peter Gabriel’s Real World label, Blair stayed in Colombia for three years and came up with the idea of Sidestepper, a sound collective that would combine the South American nation’s tropical roots with the drum-and-bass style.

Like a well-connected spy, Blair operates with the help of some indispensable local contacts. Ivan Benavides, leader of rock outfit Bloque, brings his eclectic vision as a co-writer on most of the tunes. Aterciopelados singer Andrea Echeverri, one of the most distinctive voices in Latin music today, adds her vocal sorcery to the bewitching “Linda Manigua.”

On “Me Muero,” Sidestepper turns into a Cuban charanga, complete with silky violins and acrobatic flute solos.

More than a revolutionary musical manifesto, Sidestepper is a work in progress, a new recipe that will take time until it is finally perfected. As it stands, however, Blair’s attempt is laudable--and lots of fun, too.

*

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.