A mercurial three-way collaboration between pop auteur
Joan Wasser
, Afro-beat icon
Tony Allen
, and producer
Dave Okumu
,
The Solution Is Restless
is a rangy and intriguing platter. Following her 2019 retrospective and subsequent covers project, this marks
Wasser
's first new
Joan as Police Woman
material since 2018 and is among the final recordings made by
Allen
, who died in April 2020. The connecting thread between these two artists is apparently their mutual friend
Damon Albarn
, who introduced them in 2019 and also appears on a song here. Completing the project's primary triangle is
, frontman for the eclectic London group
the Invisible
. With little obvious direction, the trio gathered in a Paris recording studio for an evening of free-form improvisations to which
later added lyrics and sculpted into this unique ten-song set. Stitched together by sparse keyboard parts,
's stuttering drum patterns, and muted guitar stabs,
is a sophisticated mood piece with an enchanting late-night feel. Rarely has
sounded so seductive and strange as on highlights like the eerie, string-adorned "Dinner Date" or the slow-drip art-funk of 11-minute opener "The Barbarian." Background murmurs and distant strings create the icy backdrop of "Enter the Dragon" while
explores with the nimble finesse of a master instrumentalist. It's an album to inhabit and get lost in -- a headphone gem of subtle shivers and slow transitions birthed by unexpected bedfellows. Everyone involved shines, but for
, it's a feather in her cap and an excellent way to kick off the next phase in what continues to be an exciting career. ~ Timothy Monger