"808s & Heartbreak" by Kanye West; Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam

It's hard to call Kanye West an underdog these days. Though he struggled very early in his career to be taken seriously as a rapper, he is arguably rap's biggest name now.

His first three albums have cemented him as a multiplatinum-selling megastar and multiple Grammy winner. Given his award-show tantrums and altercations with paparazzi, it'd be easier to consider the self-proclaimed "Louis Vuitton Don" just another arrogant celebrity.

But his music has always contained enough moral contradiction and beatmaking artistry for listeners to continue rooting for West even when it appears his head has grown too big. "Man I promise, I'm so self-conscious," he rapped on his 2004 single, "All Falls Down."

That strain of self-awareness mixed with gut-spilling honesty anchors his compelling yet bittersweet fourth album, "808s & Heartbreak." Fans beware: The disc represents a major sonic departure for West. Where previous releases transformed samples from Ray Charles and Chaka Khan to Steely Dan and Daft Punk into danceable rap hits, this 12-track effort largely recalls the sparse, echoey sounds of 1980s pop acts Tears for Fears or early Phil Collins.

Perhaps understandably, West might not be in a celebratory mood. He's coming off a rough year. His mother died last November after undergoing cosmetic surgery. Then, five months later, the Chicago rapper ended an engagement to his fiance. Instead of rapping (or ignoring) his pain, he's chosen to sing about it — assisted by Auto-Tune, the pitch correction software heard on many of today's pop and urban hits.

While Florida "rappa ternt sanga" T-Pain relies on the same program for many of his club-ready, stripper odes, West uses the effect to give his voice a detached, anguished quality. It sounds as if he's searching for answers from some internal void; the results are mostly touching. On "Welcome to Heartbreak," he sings full of regret: "Chased the good life my whole life long / looked back on my life, and my life gone / where did I go wrong?"

Elsewhere, on "Say You Will," he ponders a lover's loyalty over a chilling, ping-pongy sound effect. Stove-pipe organ stabs drive the cynical break-up ditty, "Heartless," while the moody keys, thumping drums and West's plaintive wail give "Coldest Winter" — an ode to his late mother — distinct emotional heft.

Still, the disc's minimalism can be tedious at times. Three-quarters through, West's melancholy becomes harder to digest — from the string-heavy "RoboCop" through the extended chick-a-boom outro of "Bad News." And the album closing live freestyle, "Pinocchio Story," has as many hokey moments as soul-stirring ones. Considering the pros and cons of his own stardom, he moans: "Do you think I sacrificed real life / For all the things, the flashing lights."

Ultimately, "808s & Heartbreak" is further proof that West is most compelling when he's open to figuring it all out.

Check out this track: With West's haunting vocals, simple piano figures and assaulting drum kicks, "Love Lockdown" is the perfect elegy to love gone south.