808s & Heartbreak (Vinyl)

Following a 2008 of misfortune (the death of his mother, the dissolution of his engagement), hip-hop's enigmatic impresario Kanye West returned, a bit more somber, slightly more urgent, but still pushing boundaries, on his fourth record, '808s & Heartbreak.'

From the first track, the sprawling, drum-n-bass-propelled "Say You Will," and from the ubiquitous lead single, the propulsive "Love's Lockdown," it is clear that West was venturing further into the electronic sound he explored on 'Graduation.'