"Ghetto Cooking" offers an experience that is both eerily familiar and refreshingly new at the same time. The album evokes much of the dark tranquility of their second album, "Lonely Melting Iceberg". Even still, there is a notable departure in its energy. It offers an array of emotions, but doesn't resonate with a bleak chill like "Lonely Melting Iceberg", nor does it summon the manic, insomniac aura of their self-titled debut. More true evolution than a departure from their earlier work, "Ghetto Cooking" finds the group, led by Ryan M. Block and Elaina Azari, having mastered the art of spooky, atmospheric songwriting, and now exploring the limits of their odd, dark world with the introduction of a variety of new influences. By juxtaposing their patented, epic dreamscapes with a healthy, head-bobbing dose of dub, classic soul, and melancholy folk, The Red Channels have managed to make the sultry, reverb-laden vocals of Elaina Azari more haunting and beautiful than ever. Add in some jarring, angular guitars, the cooling, atmospheric drones of the organs, plus a rhythm section that somehow manages to make their deep, repetitive grooves sound experimental, and the result is an expansive, challenging record. In a word, "Ghetto Cooking" is stunning.