Anderson .Paak | Malibu

There's so much hype around everything these days and most of it turns out to be – for want of a better phrase - vacuous shit. But this guy deserves some hype and he isn't getting nearly enough.

He was originally called Breezy Lovejoy, which kind of suits him down to the ground but now he goes by the name Anderson .Paak. He's done a whole bunch of projects, like the Link Up & Suede EP collaboration with Knxwledge and the work he did on Dr Dre's last album Compton, making his bones.

This album showcases his range of talent and style. The guy is an alchemist. He's taken the lilt and attitude of Kendrick Lamar, the raunchy playfulness and Prince, the croon and sway of D'Angelo, the edgy styles of the lesser-known Smino... in short he's captured the essence of some of the more iconic black male artists of our time and woven it into a coherent urban tapestry full of joy and sensuality.

Musically it's tight. It's got traditional touches mingled with progressive production.

Despite his obvious skills as lyricist and singer and rapper and instrumentalist, he made the strong choice and gathered a whole bunch of magicians around him to build this beast. It was co-produced by Madlib, 9th Wonder, and DJ Khalil. He's accompanied by Pino Palladino, Robert Glasper, and his own band, The Free Nationals. On vocals chores he's joined by BJ the Chicago Kid and Sonyae Elise and rapping with him he has masters The Game, Talib Kweli, ScHoolboy Q and Rapsody. Top notch support, and it shows.

It's not some kind of masterpiece that will last from now until the end of time, but it stands strong shoulder to shoulder with recent albums like Kendrick's 'Pimp a Butterfly', Drake's 'If You're Reading This It's Too Late' and The Internet's 'Ego Death'.

This man is on the move. He's producing gems here. He's got the Goodzzz.