1.   He has toned down the funk beats and gospel-like choirs of his previous efforts, replacing them with undulating rhythms and purring keyboard-centered arrangements.

2.   Some of the best hip-hop beats incorporate the surface noise of a vinyl record playing an old funk beat into the music.

3.   The first few cuts ratchet and bleep over warped house or funk beats, sometimes tossing in a mocking vocal hook.

4.   Using hip-hop, funk beats and flashes of world-beat influences, her first solo effort paints warm, infectious pictures.