Despite some overlap in their respective periods of prominence, Musiq Soulchild and J Dilla never had the opportunity to work together prior to the producer’s death in 2006.

But on his latest release, Dewitt4Dilla, Soulchild offers a snapshot of what a full-fledged collaborative project with the Detroit legend might have sounded like. Far from a mash-up, the five-track tape bridges generations of r&b by repurposing a grip of the producer’s instrumentals for covers of classics from Marvin Gaye, Prince, Michael Jackson, Donny Hathaway, and Stevie Wonder. The result is a butter-smooth blend of Motor City swing and timeless soul.

The project follows last year’s release of two new albums from Soulchild; the gospel-tinged, Set Apart, and the straight-ahead r&b collection, Sobeautiful.

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