A mercurial three-way collaboration between pop auteur , Afro-beat icon , and producer , is a rangy and intriguing platter. Following her 2019 retrospective and subsequent covers project, this marks 's first new material since 2018 and is among the final recordings made by , who died in April 2020. The connecting thread between these two artists is apparently their mutual friend , 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 . 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