The release of is bittersweet. 's first proper album since 2007's was completed just before the death of , and issued only a couple weeks after the death of , leaving and as the band's surviving co-founders. Back in 2016, the funk legends hit the Adult R&B chart with the easy-striding "Sexy," which introduced , a singer who is spirited and engaging like -- the band's mainstream-era frontman -- and to his credit is no impressionist. "Sexy" lands in the middle of and is followed by a romantic midtempo cut with even more appeal, "All to Myself" (with former members teaming on guitar), and another highlight, the smoothly uplifting "Hold On." It's obvious why have remained a major draw on-stage. The interplay among the musicians is lively, and there's a fine balance struck between and a group of additional vocalists that includes , who is in his third decade with the band. Despite the inestimable losses of , there's a way forward for , , and the evolving . ~ Andy Kellman