It's been a relatively quiet couple of years for R&B/electropop artist Banks. A collaboration with 6LACK on a track called "In Between" for the reissue of his breakout debut album Free 6LACK and an uncharacteristically sunny standalone single "Underdog" have been her only contributions to the musical world since she wrapped up the touring cycle for her 2016 record The Altar in the fall of 2017. That brief hiatus, if you can even call it that, from the industry has come to a close with her aptly-named third LP III-which adds yet another focused, personal and cohesive collection of songs to her increasingly impressive catalog.
Outside of some subtle details in the production choices (the jazz piano in the bridge of "Hawaiian Mazes", the ominous-to-smooth bass beat switch during the back half of "Stroke", the frantic Timbaland-esque keys on the hook of "Gimme") that were very exciting and an increase in the prominence/range of effects attached to complement her striking natural voice, Banks mostly sticks to her established playbook on III. Experimentation is great and all, but when your generating positive results with an established formula that has defined your musical identity since day one, do you don't really need to stray from it? Her signature haunting melodies and soul-bearing lyric allows her to seamlessly shift between basking in swagger ("Till Now", "Propaganda", the aforementioned "Gimme") and sharing her vulnerability ("Contaminated", "Godless", "Alaska") over the course of these 13 emotionally-charged tracks. Another record full of self-love anthems and reflections on past relationships may bore some listeners who weren't high on her past efforts, but as long as she continues to traverse between these two sides of her personality with such transparent honesty, confidence and general songwriting prowess, I'll be fully on board with her continued exploration of these themes.
While their music is relatively different, I can't help but compare my thoughts on III to Lana Del Rey's Honeymoon. III may lack the abundance of explosive hooks and soaring highs of her previous pair of records, but it's able to make up for that reduction in awe-inspiring moments with a stronger overall consistency and plenty of raw emotional power. Besides the annoyingly repetitive and flat wannabe banger "The Fall", every track on III is at the very least pleasant-if not pretty damn good. This type of trade-off may not be perfect-especially as a direct follow-up to the electric highlight factory that was The Altar, but an album with a bunch of very good tracks and almost no skippable ones is still a major win for any artist.
Grade: B+
Standout Tracks:
1.Godless
2.Gimme
3.Hawaiian Mazes
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