Having recorded two superb albums of understated contemporary soul with keyboardist and producer
John Carroll Kirby
,
Eddie Chacon
changed direction by connecting with
Nick Hakim
for his third one. Going into the two-year making of
Lay Low
Chacon
told his new collaborator -- who had previously remixed the
Pleasure, Joy and Happiness
finale "Above Below" into percussive, dubbed-out funk -- that he was going for "hazy and sensual" with "darkness, but there's light to be found if you search for it." In other words, as those familiar with
Hakim
's solo records and production work might hear it, "Do you." It's no shock then that
proves to be a compatible partner on
. It's murkier and more psychedelic in relation to
's preceding LPs while remaining grounded in leisurely paced, intensely contemplative R&B. The singer was processing the death of his mother, and several songs regard a faltering relationship that isn't specified. There's one uptempo number. "Empire" is a low-slung disco-funk weeper with a touch of
Here, My Dear
-era
Marvin Gaye
(and
Kirby
on synthesizer), where
sounds relieved to have found a right way to express long-simmering doubt. He seems to be eyeing a fresh start, and it's a reprieve from the grim prospects conveyed elsewhere. On "Let the Devil In," he's practically overcome with grief, gently piercing when he confesses "It's tearing me apart" in falsetto. "End of the World," one of a couple songs with washed-out Philly soul flourishes, is weary if comforting as
expresses hopelessness. "Good Sun" sets the grieving tone as
addresses his mother with "I just miss you home," bereft in his head voice over drums that plod in a way that indicates stupefaction. Like
has a thing for vintage-sounding mechanical rhythms, and the spare and effective way they're utilized helps lend sonic continuity between
's 2020 and 2023 albums. The key throughline, of course, is the sound of
's voice -- an instrument that pacifies no matter the states of uncertainty and distress the purposeful lyrics indicate. ~ Andy Kellman