Taken Away

House music doesn’t get much deeper—or more nuanced—than Moodymann’s. The Detroit icon’s productions have made room for a wealth of ideas and reference points over the years: Gospel choirs, Black pride, Prince, and police brutality have figured prominently, but so have Lana Del Rey samples and heavy-breathing come-ons. Though it’s only seven tracks long, Taken Away is among his most complex pieces of work. “Do Wrong” opens the album with a wounded lover’s weary monologue over an extended flip of Al Green’s “Love and Happiness.” The mournful “Taken Away” might be a mortal lament or, given the sirens streaking through the background, a cry against the carceral state. “Let Me In” wraps heartbreak in hypnotic neo-soul, while “Goodbye Everybody” nestles a snippet of blues inside brooding electronic loops. Not until “Slow Down” does Moodymann bust out the kind of slow-motion disco that made him famous, but even here, the sounds of police cruisers suggest a hint of unease behind the house-party vibes. “Let Me Show You Love,” meanwhile, closes the album with an anthem as effortlessly gorgeous as he has delivered in years—an instant addition to Moodymann’s soulful canon.