Liberation is the most enjoyable product the MC has released in years. It's impulsive and appealingly imperfect, and maybe more importantly, Kweli sounds loose and playful. He raps via a bad cell phone connection on "Time Is Right," exhorts women to "give up that ass" on "The Show," and actually offers up a polemic that has teeth ("Over the Counter"). He still has his technical flaws, but in this lo-fi setting, the sound meshes. Much of that appeal can be attributed to Madlib, who produced the entire album—the West Coast producer has built a career out of seemingly shitting out unseen masterpieces, and here he doesn't so much shoot for the sublime pastiche of Madvillainy as fuck with traditional structures. It's a good look: The rickety funk of "Over the Counter" actually bumps, and "Funny Money" is a sunbaked, Cali-fied version of the chopped soul perfected by Just Blaze.

The album isn't faultless—it wasn't designed to be—but for fans of Kweli's early Rawkus boho rap, it's a relieving return to form. Oh yeah, it's also free. Download it at rappcats.com.