Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The risk of developing a signature sound is predictability. Kaytranada’s new album is a case in point. The style forged by its predecessors — a blend of hip-hop, funk, R&B and house, mellow in feel but meticulously arranged — here becomes too comfortable for its own good. Born Louis Kevin Celestin, the Haitian-Canadian came to notice with his 2016 debut album 99.9%, which won him acclaim as a distinctive producer in the vein of rap outliers J Dilla and Madlib, both formative influences. It also won him the Polaris prize, Canada’s equivalent of the Mercury. His next album, 2021’s Bubba, consolidated his success, gaining two Grammy awards. Then came a well-received collaboration with the rapper Aminé, last year’s Kaytraminé. But the smooth run comes to a stuttering halt with the arrival of the overlong and underpowered Timeless. Its title is a warning sign. There have been numerous identically named albums over the years, from classic ones (Goldie’s debut) to less notable efforts (N-Dubz’s 2023 comeback). Indeed, there is another Timeless coming out on the same day as this one, Meghan Trainor’s new album — an untimely coincidence.The music also suffers from sameness. Tracks settle into a well-established but unchanging groove. The tempo rarely varies. There are a lot of guest vocalists, representing a range of genres. Childish Gambino has an R&B turn on “Witchy”. Anderson .Paak brings the funk on “Do 2 Me”. Rochelle Jordan sings hip-hop soul on “Spit It Out”. Kaytranada’s brother Lou Phelps raps on “Call U Up”. But the songcraft is flatter than the array of different voices.“Still”, featuring Charlotte Day Wilson, gets bogged down in its chorus: the singer tells the song’s addressee that she still loves them no fewer than 21 times over the course of its two-minute duration. “Drip Sweat”, made with the rapper Channel Tres, moves between an intense synthesiser fanfare and classic breakbeats, but its use of contrast is a rarity. Lack of musical incident is compounded by the album’s length: there are 17 tracks, not including bonus ones. At over an hour long, Timeless turns into a drag.★★☆☆☆‘Timeless’ is released by RCA Records
