The third instalment of Robert Glasper’s Black Radio series picks up from where the pianist-producer left off. He goes back into collaboration mode and takes it to the max, inviting 20 odd singers and rappers to supply the lyrical content to songs that stand on the cusp of soul, jazz and hip-hop. On one hand the sheer weight of numbers and the arrival of new voices from track to track lends the work the feel of a mixtape, which may well be the stated intention, but this is a touch offkey, simply because the material doesn’t have the sustained flow and punch of that format, with its adherence to beat-rhyme-cut dynamics. Several of the low tempo songs are really treading water. On the other hand the quality of some of the writing and performances offsets that shortcoming. ‘Why We Speak’, featuring Esperanza Spalding and Q-Tip, is a gem of francophone sassiness in which the funk is delivered with enticing subtlety, and ‘Everybody Love’, with Musiqsoulchild and Posdnuos, is a simmering melody set to an understated house groove that is hard to resist. As for the reprise of Tears For Fears’ anthem ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ it benefits from astute re-harmonization and a typically majestic turn from Lalah Hathaway. There is an excellent album concealed within this set of tracks that needs better quality control.