Taken Away

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House music doesn’t get much deeper—or more nuanced—than Moodymann’s. The Detroit icon’s productions have made room for a wealth of ideas and reference points over the years: Gospel choirs, Black pride, Prince, and police brutality have figured prominently, but so have Lana Del Rey samples and heavy-breathing come-ons. Though it’s only seven tracks long, <i>Taken Away</i> is among his most complex pieces of work. “Do Wrong” opens the album with a wounded lover’s weary monologue over an extended flip of Al Green’s “Love and Happiness.” The mournful “Taken Away” might be a mortal lament or, given the sirens streaking through the background, a cry against the carceral state. “Let Me In” wraps heartbreak in hypnotic neo-soul, while “Goodbye Everybody” nestles a snippet of blues inside brooding electronic loops. Not until “Slow Down” does Moodymann bust out the kind of slow-motion disco that made him famous, but even here, the sounds of police cruisers suggest a hint of unease behind the house-party vibes. “Let Me Show You Love,” meanwhile, closes the album with an anthem as effortlessly gorgeous as he has delivered in years—an instant addition to Moodymann’s soulful canon.

via Apple Music