Deep in the second act of NxWorries’ sophomore album, “Why Lawd?,” Anderson .Paak has an epiphany: Maybe monogamy isn’t so bad after all. “I know I said that I cannot choose one / But I’m starting to think you could be all I need,” he enunciates over rapid drum programming. “Girl, I believe you are my one and only.” It’s a low bar for romance, sure, but for the 38-year-old singer/rapper it’s a step in the direction of maturity — even if the breakthrough seems too late to save his songbook love jones.
Things seldom get more sentimental on the aforementioned reunion release from NxWorries, .Paak’s collaborative unit with producer Knxwledge. The stellar, long-awaited project more often deals with the mess left behind from the philandering of 2016’s beloved Yes Lawd!, a portrait of a playboy indulging in newfound stardom and the many, many women who want a piece of him.