Review: on 'Made in Chicago', Lalah Hathaway comes home and delivers the week's coziest R&B

This is a review. Lalah Hathaway has nothing left to prove, and 'Made in Chicago', her ninth studio album, knows it. Its nine tracks were conceived, in the singer's own words, 'at the intersection of nostalgia and melancholy', starting from a very specific image: herself in a leather coat, looking out over Lake Michigan with the city skyline behind her. The record arrives around what would have been her father Donny Hathaway's 81st birthday, and his affectionate shadow hangs over everything.

Co-produced and co-written almost entirely with longtime partner Phil Beaudreau, the album favors texture rather than impact. The single '47th Street', featuring poet J. Ivy, opens the door to the Chicago of her childhood; 'Can't Let Go' and 'Follow' show that deep, elastic voice gliding over unhurried grooves; and contributions from Moonchild's Amber Navran, flutist Elena Pinderhughes and drummer Justin Tyson give it an organic, band-in-the-room finish.

The best is saved for last: 'Time' and 'Magic' fully let the jazz in and find Lalah at her freest. If there's a catch, it's that cohesion sometimes slides into sameness — anyone looking for a sticky chorus or a risk on the level of 'Vantablack' may find it too restrained. Still, it's soul food in the best sense: as familiar as it is fresh. Score: 8/10