W

Instead of exploring a country or region's music -- as he did so expressively on 2017's Azulejos -- Populous' Andrea Mangia delves into what creative feminine energy means to him on W. On his first album as an openly queer artist, he collaborates with some of his favorite female performers. True to his globe-trotting ways, these artists hail from locales as far-flung as Japan, Brazil, and his homeland of Italy. Mangia's talent for artfully mixing and matching different sounds and styles also remains, and is at its most mysteriously alluring since 2014's Night Safari. However, W (short for "women") is much more sensual and immediately captivating than that album or Azulejos, thanks to the presence and power of its vocalists. Each singer is the goddess of her own track, particularly on "Flores No Mar," where Brazil's Emmanuelle sings the praises of Lemanja, the female deity who protects seafarers, fishermen, and womanhood in the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé, over squealing flutes and a hypnotic, foot-stomping beat. On "House of Keta," Italian rapper Myss Keta is queen of the dance floor, demanding nothing less than she deserves over a commanding vogue beat that makes for one of Populous' most danceable tracks. Though Mangia's way with atmospheres is largely pushed to W's margins, it still heightens the album's mystique on tracks such as "Desierto," a collaboration with Argentinian singer/songwriter Sobrenadar with a dreamy drift that harks back to Populous' debut album, Quipo. Elsewhere, "So Lo Que Soy," a breezily seductive track featuring the Mexican duo Sotomayor, and "Banda," a team-up with Argentinian producer Barda, let the entrancing qualities of Mangia's music come to the fore without sacrificing the dance rhythms that give W its heartbeat. As the album draws to a close, some of its standout tracks reunite the producer with old friends and collaborators. Japanese singer Cuushe, who made an impression with her Night Safari cameo, adds an extra grace to "Out of Space" with her breathy vocals ("Petalo," which features Argentinian/Uruguayan duo Weste, continues this lighter-than-air mood). When Mangia returns home with Italian singers Lucia Manca and Matilde Davoli -- who appeared on Quipo and also works with him as Girl with the Gun -- on the gliding finale "Roma," it feels like the perfect capper to the album's stylish, inclusive feminine creativity. As Mangia and his friends share their stories of individuality and community, there's a freeness and warmth to W's music that grows richer with each listen.