Big

Big

R&B singer Macy Gray’s fourth album is a rootsy, confident affair, fortified with slick production and stellar guest appearances (Natalie Cole, will.i.am, Justin Timberlake). Her irreverent lyrics and raspy, weathered vocals are on full display, but here she also delights in genre-hopping. “Ghetto Love” is a brassy pop stomp, while “Strange Behavior” layers blues yarn-spinning over a Motown beat. With dreamy orchestration, “Shoo Be Doo” nods to ‘50s vocal groups, while “Everybody” brings funk to a chart-worthy banger.