Four years came and went between
Marsha Ambrosius
'
Friends & Lovers
and
Nyla
, during which the singer and songwriter was featured throughout
Dr. Dre
's
Compton
and heard on albums by
Common
,
A Tribe Called Quest
Nipsey Hussle
, and
Royce da 5'9"
. Moreover, she and
Natalie Stewart
temporarily reactivated
Floetry
for touring -- during which she fell in love -- and started a family. Titled after her daughter's name,
Ambrosius
' third album could have understandably concerned little more than newfound love and domesticity, but the variety of emotions and situations here is just as vast as it is on the first two full-lengths.
and her fellow producers, including
Focus...
Dem Jointz
Darhyl Camper
Benny Cassette
, refresh the mix of classic and modern styles that filled the earlier LPs. The metaphorical "Bottle Fulla Liquor" is the most up to date: synthetic soul that booms and sparkles just enough to stick out on commercial radio. Tracks elsewhere nearly spill over with vintage and current elements, as in "Luh Ya," where the "Ashley's Roachclip" break, elements of trap-style production, and a hint of
Michael Jackson
's "The Lady in My Life" all compete for room. The album's last six songs are particularly heavy, as if
recorded the first nine, felt she needed one more to finish it off, wrote and recorded half a dozen for consideration, and chose to keep the lot since they're all purposeful and of approximately equal quality. Yearning hooks over winding grooves remain
' sure-fire combination, delivered most potently early on in "Flood," the closest the album gets to "Far Away," and "I Got It Bad," rhythmically an immediate descendant of
D'Angelo
's "Spanish Joint." ~ Andy Kellman