Songs such as "Freedom" and "Sunshine & the Rain" exhibit hip hop-influenced production. Martin Johnson of the Chicago Reader comments that the album's "ingeniously gritty sound" evokes older R&B songs such as Aretha Franklin's "Day Dreaming", Curtis Mayfield's "Future Shock", and Sly and the Family Stone's "Family Affair".
Songs featuring hip-hop production, such as "Freedom" and "Sunshine & the Rain," exhibit a gritty sound reminiscent of older R&B songs like Aretha Franklin's "Day Dreaming", Curtis Mayfield's "Future Shock", and Sly and the Family Stone's "Family Affair".