Man on the Moon, Vol. 3: The Chosen

Throughout the journey of the Man on the Moon trilogy, which is imbued with many twists and turns, The Chosen captures Cudi as victorious, finally reaching his long-awaited destination.

The album generally finds his deep-breathing, sing-song-y baritone nestled almost exclusively in ambient synth-hop. Ultimately, this nearly single-sourced sound is more consistent, and easier on the ears. ... But it’s when Cudi is by himself — lonely and punching through the darkness — that his somnolent, bittersweet reveries are at their tastiest.

Cudi sparkles in the first two acts. ... While satisfying, the most endearing and powerful standout moments appear in the third and fourth acts.

Kid Cudi gives us every part of himself, laying out his insecurities and inner demons in the hope that it might help someone else, his words etched into a vivid backdrop of intoxicating melodies and palatial riffs. No one does mood music quite like Cudi.

While it might take a few listens to make sense of the album's seemingly muddled introduction, one thing is clear: by the end of this hour-long journey, Cudi has reached his destination.

This is a fun, sometimes moving project, extremely consistent and concise by the standards we apply to Kid Cudi since around 2013.

Cudi wrestles with the same struggles that have plagued him since he began sharing the complexities of his internal world, but at its best, Man on the Moon, Vol 3: The Chosen shows that years of struggle have yielded substantial growth.

His music might still be relatable, but it has never sounded so cliché.