The VIII

Avant’s eighth album unfolds over dramatic keyboard lines and the R&B singer’s tales of estrangement and renewed commitment. “Find a Way” rides on mid-tempo bass notes reminiscent of the Jacksons’ “This Place Hotel,” while soft acoustic guitar flows underneath the heartbreak of “Apart.” He keeps the bed rocking over the orchestra-like synthesizers of “Come Get It,” but he spends much of the album ruing over old flames, like on “Best Friend (Part II),” a sequel to his 2013 track. It all makes for heady stuff for the bedroom.