Robert Glasper gets deep in his beatmaker bag on 'Black Radio III,' with help from artists like H.E.R., Ty Dolla $ign and Killer Mike. But the album's stakes could've been a little higher.
may no longer carry the same vital energy as Glasper’s original statement, which pushed back against the marginalization of “real” jazz from the pop mainstream. He won that argument. But the Glasper sound remains. “I’m in this R&B shit now,” he said inshould fulfill expectations generated by the first, excellent 2011 album . There are starry, honeyed voices; J Dilla-esque rhythms, and themes of love and community renewal.
A few surprises lie amid the familiar pleasures. Esperanza Spalding sings delightfully in French over the funk fusion of “While We Speak.” Justin Tyson’s drumming underneath H.E.R.’s lead vocal on “Better Than I Imagined” gives that track a dynamic pulse. It closes with an entreaty from Meshell Ndegeocello to her lover as she alludes to a distance created by the pandemic, and her warm baritone feels as comforting as a blanket.
Despite the Experiment’s demise, former band members such as bassist Derrick Hodge and drummer Chris Dave add instrumentation. Other players include DJ Jahi Sundance as well as DJ Jazzy Jeff, the latter chipping in on “Black Superhero,” a roundelay between BJ the Chicago Kid, Killer Mike, and Big K.R.I.T. The best moments retain Glasper’s jazz perspective, whether it’s his own piano flurries that close “Shine” or the gruff, emotive presence of Gregory Porter on “It Don’t Matter.
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