Blank Project

"New York City, she speaks to me in tongues," declares Swedish art-pop diva Neneh Cherry on "Across the Water." She gives as good as she gets: The "Buffalo Stance" singer's first solo LP since 1996 refuses to be slotted as rap, rock, jazz, pop, EDM or R&B, while delivering all of the above. The title track is a conflicted love pledge, chanted over gnarly martial techno; "Weightless" is morphing punk-funk with distorto bass; "Out of the Black" is a slithery tag team with fellow Scandinavian freethinker Robyn. Produced with finesse by Four Tet, whose ability to mix live drum grooves and electronic muscle is unrivaled, it's music that beats its own path, brilliantly.