After one listen, I thought RJD2’s new album, The Third Hand (out March 6 on XL Recordings; sample a few tracks here), was a noble yet failed experiment. Erstwhile in-demand hiphop producer sings in a fey, gray voice over some ornate art-rock/baroque-pop confections—um, yeah, interesting, and kudos for trying something new, but RJ’s not exactly playing to his strengths, I thought.

But another more thorough listen reveals some ambitious arrangements and weirdly alluring melodies—plus some nice submerged funk beats, which is one of the main things people loved about RJ’s early productions. Besides his ubiquitous MPC 2000XL sampler/sequencer, RJ plays analog synths, guitar, and electric piano here—and plays them very well.

I can imagine The Third Hand alienating some RJ fans and winning some new ones, but I have doubts about radio warming up to it. This is not a straightforward pop album, and it doesn’t really rock hard enough to lure the skinny jeans and sleeve-tattoo hordes. But if you’re into the sophisticated, skewed pop classicism of Todd Rundgren, the Left Banke, or Jon Brion, you may find RJD2’s latest album hits a bittersweet spot that rarely gets hit—especially by guys who are hyped as “the next DJ Shadow™.”