The Ascent

He helped birth grime’s trademark frigid soundscapes but Wiley lets the light pour in on this bustling, monster of a ninth album. The eye-catching features help, covering scene originators (Lethal Bizzle and Kano on the thumpingly playful “First Class”), soul firecrackers (Miss D. on bubbling summer jam “Heatwave”) and US heavy-hitters (French Montana’s assist on loved-up floor-filler “My Heart”). But this is undeniably Wiley’s party—glistening, mischievous and utterly irresistible.