Out of his many solo projects through 2016, is 's most concentrated work. As with the releases that preceded it, styles continually bump against one another and mingle -- freewheeling funk and gritty throwback soul are abundant -- but this one involves no rapping. Some of the ideas were cooked up while was working on 's , an album with which this shares a couple elements and some personnel. It plays out like it was conceived during relaxed daytime sessions on rare weekends when and his associates were able to break away from professional and personal obligations. primarily sticks to his tangy alto saxophone and a battery of keyboards, setting the tone with a lazing but impassioned intro that settles into "Valdez Off Crenshaw," where he and his group make like a West Coast version of -era . The sunbaked groove incorporates 's "Valdez in the Country." 's daughter happens to be among the diverse group of vocalists. She takes the lead on the aching "Oakland," a quiet-fire ballad. Among the album's drummers is 's father , who is honored with "Curly Martin," a slowly intensifying instrumental that involves two of the Bruner brothers (drummer , bassist ) and (on Rhodes) as most of its rhythm section. , in vocoder-ized form, is the lead voice on only "With You," a blissed-out G-funk glider. While it occasionally careens and meanders with some sequences that are merely pleasant or heavy-lidded, is one of those generously warm albums, seemingly designed for unwinding, that isn't likely to wear out its welcome. ~ Andy Kellman