Urban escapist Bing Ji Ling resides in New York, but his music sounds like it was made on a tropical island somewhere in the South Pacific. As singer-songwriter, producer, and musician, Bing wears a lot of hats, and it’s to his credit that his sound nods to vintage soul without going the full-on retro route. June Degrees in December revels in upbeat, cheery tunes without languishing in commercial clichés. The biggest problem with this album, however, is that at five songs, it’s just too short. Just when you’ve gotten acclimated to Bing’s candy-coated groove, the disc ends, forcing an unwelcome return to reality.