Hi everyone, Wythony Lordtano here, the Internet's busiest music nerd, and it's time for a review of this new Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge, aka NxWorries record, Why Lawd? Yes, we have a new crossover album here between singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, multi instrumentalist Anderson .Paak as well as beatsmith extraordinaire Knxwledge.

Years ago, these two created a one off record together as NxWorries, titled Yes Lawd! Very simply, the record was a pretty good display of their respective talents and strengths during this time in their careers where they were both on the come up, even if the song structures on this thing fell a little flat or were kind of redundant at points. But that was 2016, which at this point feels like ages ago.

But since the time of that album's release, Yes Lawd! has almost become like this legendary collab. So of course the fans have been waiting very intently for some kind of follow up at some point. And here Why Lawd? is that album. However, if you're going into this record expecting for a second helping of exactly the same thing, you will be sorely disappointed. Although I don't know why you would. The last record came out so long ago, and both of these guys have been through so much creatively and personally since then.

I mean, the original collaboration itself was a pretty even and funky blend of hip hop and soul. Could even say it was a bit of a neo-soul thing. And for sure, a lot of the same influences are running through this new record over here too. But you can definitely tell that Anderson is carrying with him throughout this project some of his past creative successes he has seen with releases like Ventura, as well as the commercial smash Silk Sonic project he did with Bruno Mars not too long ago.

So not only is the songwriting on this record a bit more focused, structured, definitely catchier and improved, but the elements of pop and soul flowing throughout this record as well are a bit sleeker, prettier, more versatile. A larger wealth of musical experiences and reference points are being pulled from on this record, and I would say there's more to pull from emotionally too.

It's no secret that recently Anderson has been going through a pretty big divorce situation, and it was definitely a question as to whether or not that was going to turn up as a theme on this record. And it most definitely does in ways that are pretty revealing and even surprising for Anderson .Paak. As in his music, typically he's quick to present himself as this slick talking ladies man who has just charisma for days. While certainly he is still that on some level, this record over here portrays him also as somebody who is feeling deep fits of sadness, fear, depression, insecurity post this separation in the tracklist.

There are plenty of lovey Dovey anthems and sex jams to be had for sure, but now they're happening more in the context of starting back at square one and trying to find love again. And I think this narrative angle gives Anderson and Knxwledge a lot more purpose conceptually this time around as they're collaborating. The tracklist on this thing also runs in a very cohesive fashion too, because now at least most of the tracks on the feel like they're contributing to a greater narrative, or at least segueing into each other if they're on the shorter side.

We start things off kind of easy in a way, with an interlude cut titled "Thank You" that features some spoken word vocals from Dave Chappelle, which having him on this record is a choice. I mean his transphobic ass, which I mean, obviously there's none of that on this intro, but simultaneously I don't really get the diatribe that he's on talking about thanking God that he gets to be him, and kind of ranting about how he hates the word deserve. Which is a very odd sentiment to start this record off with, especially considering the themes to follow from here. I mean, I get what he's saying in part, entitlement isn't pretty. While for sure not everyone just inherently deserves the kind of success Dave Chappelle has seen over the course of his career. Also, nobody deserves to be homeless in the way that he kind of, you know, describes those. He feels really bad for the kind of people that makes him feel good to be him. I know it's just an intro track and people will most likely be in the comments saying "Anthony, you're overthinking it," but if I'm not supposed to glean anything from this intro and what Dave is saying on it, why is it even here?

With that being said, the record to follow from here is pretty great, even if "86Centra" is just a sweet, funky, very braggadocious little tone setter for the LP. Meanwhile, "Move On" is a very spacey and chill piece of hip hop soul pastiche that is more vibe than it is song. The heat does turn up though, on the following track "Keeper" featuring Thundercat, where you not only get a vibe that is equally gloomy and groovy, but also his very sweet, breathy vocal harmonies. But the true selling point of the track is Anderson Paak's very pained and tragic vocal performance, the storytelling he's engaging in, saying "You're supposed to be with me!" And also, "You spent the week in Greece, I know you were getting your cheeks beat." "The money won't keep her," too. I mean, it's just kind of crazy just how unashamedly downtrodden this song is. And while the track is long, I mean, I still think it packs a punch. It's kind of hard not to get lost in just the utter despair of it. It's kind of like if spiraling were a song.

Not too much later after this, we are hit with a pretty strong run of tracks. There's "Where I Go" featuring Her, which has been floating around for a minute now, but it's still excellent. We have slinky guitars, lazy beats, intoxicatingly jazzy chords, some good low key vocal chemistry between Anderson and Her.

There's "Daydreaming," which is a huge highlight for me. A very dreamy, shimmering piece of eighties pop rock which is just lovesick as hell and works way better than it should given Knxwledge and Anderson's usual genre backgrounds when it comes to putting out records.

From here is a nostalgic soul ballad with stellar vocals from October London, which is just soaring and proficient on a technical level. Meanwhile, Anderson is vocally bringing the drama, the fire. He is sounding absolutely distraught on this track. "Where do I go, what do I do? How do I live life past this point?" Meanwhile, Knxwledge, I think, is really flexing his knowledge and capabilities that he has gained since releasing the last NxWorries record. I think he has just honed an incredible talent for capturing a vibe in esthetic, in essence. From the assembly of the beat, you can tell like, it's a modern hip hop production work, but simultaneously it flows and it feels like an old school soul number in terms of just how loose and organic it comes across. Plus that dramatic little spoken word outro from Snoop Dogg is just the perfect way to end this thing.

From here, we move into a pretty strong second half. "Fall Through" is a super sensual drunk sex anthem that goes off without a hitch. I love Anderson, also lyrically playing with this idea of kind of falling for this person in the midst of all of this intensity and romance. "I'm gonna say something that you're gonna remember, something that I might regret later."

"Battlefield" is obviously about this battlefield of love, but it runs very much like kind of a chaotic inner monolog from Anderson. Meanwhile, "Here I Am" is like a hilariously sad low on the record with him talking about, again, the way this whole relationship, this marriage fell apart. Kind of owning up to, at least abstractly, to the ways in which he kind of fucked things up, leaving him in a position where he's feeling embarrassed in front of of friends, in front of his mom, sitting there sadly peeking at her Instagram. Again, not only does it make for a great narrative, a great song, a great story, he's really kind of laying it all out there emotionally for everyone to see. Also, it's just very commendable that he's willing to be as vulnerable as he's being on this topic, because obviously it's not really the kind of chapter of someone's life that they want to share or glorify. But again, remember, this is a very versatile record that shows Anderson going through a range of emotions.

There are high points where he's celebrating and partying and at the strip club and telling women that he's single again. There are moments as well, like "Out The Way," where he is sort of finding love again, singing about somebody potentially being his one and only. There's also "More Of It," which is a song that is not only having more money beyond this point, but more love to give as well. It's a track that very much tries to look at this change positively.

"She Used" is an interesting moment in the track list where knowledge kind of flexes his ability to present a beat as song moment, pitching up Anderson's vocals in the mix as if he's doing like some kind of chipmunk soul number. It's giving big J Dilla vibes and is not half bad. We have a few shorter transitional cuts past this point, which are pretty solid, but then the last full big song on the record, "Walk On By" is a pretty powerful moment with one of Anderson's most emotional and profound and impactful verses on the entire record, with him rapping and singing about processing these sad emotions during this time, wanting to hold back those tears, wanting to give into this temptation to get high rather than maybe think it over or go to therapy. Rae Khalil as well as Earl Sweatshirt provide solid features for the track too.

In a nutshell, that is pretty much the record. Like the last NxWorries album, the song structures and overall flow of this thing are kind of vibey and chaotic. There are more tracks that feel like motifs than they are songs. With that being said, there is still a significant increase in solid and serious tunes this time around that I feel like the previous record just didn't have in terms of lyricism, performance, thematic and topical focus. And just overall production I feel like "Why Lawd? is a big improvement on the last record, too.

While this album is not perfect, and I wish that there were more tracks on here that just felt a little more fully fleshed out, I still think what Knxledge and Anderson have done here is give us a collab that was most definitely worth waiting for. One that just happened to arrive at the right time, because it allowed Anderson to have an outlet to dive into a very serious personal and emotional place given what he's been going through recently, which I think gives the record more cohesion and consistency than it may have had otherwise.

Really impressive, really enjoyable listen, and I'm glad these guys got together once again to make this project happen. I'm feeling a strong 7 to a light 8 on this one.

Have you given this record a listen? Did you love it? Did you hate it? What would you rate it? You're the best. You're the best. What should I review next? Sign up for the site, leave a comment. Please don't cry.

Anthony Fantano, NxWorries, forever.