Matt Martians
' design for
Ego Death
asserts that
the Internet
, which the producer co-pilots with singer/songwriter and producer/engineer
Sydney Bennett
, should be considered a band, not a duo. The names of the additional four -- keyboardist
Jameel Bruner
, guitarist
Steve Lacy
, bassist
Patrick Paige II
, and drummer
Christopher Allan Smith
-- along with those of numerous associates and guest artists, appear throughout the credits of
's third and best album. While part of the appeal of
Purple Naked Ladies
and
Feel Good
was in their off-the-cuff and unassuming qualities, some of the songs verged on sketches and happenstance tangents that merely evoked a chemically enhanced and/or intimate mood. The majority of
is tighter.
Bennett
has refined her songwriting without reducing the candid approach that colors her past compositions. Additionally, the tangents are fewer and more substantive. It doesn't pick up where
left off. Instead of opening with a free-flowing mood-setter, the album starts with
's voice barely above a whisper, declaring "Now she wanna fuck with me," daydreaming about escape, in tandem with trudging bass and lapping percussion. Much of what follows is similarly direct, or at least as concise. "Girl," co-produced by
Bruner
Kaytranada
, is a dimly lit gem of a ballad, a simple love song with loping bass and fluttering synthesizer evoking heartache with as much resonance as
's words. Other nuanced, low-key standouts sound like they started as informal jam sessions and were shaped into near perfection. In the cloud surfing,
James Fauntleroy
-assisted "For the World,"
's consciousness is so altered that she blissfully slurs to a lover that she's willing to kill for her, then dismisses the thought with "We're chillin' instead, give me a kiss."
's sharp pen and ability to convey a mix of emotions are also in top form in "Under Control," where she impels a relationship with a lot of conviction and a little anxiety. One of the best noncommercial R&B albums of 2015,
is perfectly timed, in sync with -- and distinct from -- other standout releases connected to the thriving L.A. community, including
Kendrick Lamar
's
To Pimp a Butterfly
,
Kamasi Washington
The Epic
Miguel
WILDHEART
, and
Bilal
Adrian Younge
-produced
In Another Life
. ~ Andy Kellman