Sampha – Process

Being heavily affected by Solange’s Don’t Touch My Hair, I sat down and listened to Sampha’s solo debut album really carefully, without having listened to his past efforts with SBTRKT or having known his songwriting credits for other artists (I did know them, actually, I just didn’t know I actually knew them). I tried to focus on every sound, every word, every reverb and every agony in his vocals, as they desperately try to save themselves from drowning every time a chorus opens. For a second there, I almost had the sense he wants to sound like an American soul crooner, like John Legend, Frank Ocean or even a male version of Macy Gray. But Sampha is everything but that.

He breaks the rules of singing, writing words, building melodies or even composing rhythm sections. He creates from a well-hidden place in his heart, a personal sanctuary, something mystical and mystic at the same time. His songs, though, are not weak, dark or dramatized. On the contrary, they are solid and emotionally bigger than everything he has experienced in the recent past. Process feels more like a personal spiritual catharsis being narrated over pianos and drums and less like a studio album. In terms of music reviewing, that sounds inconsistent, because, as a product, it’s a studio album. But it’s solitary as well. It sounds like he is on a mission, other than selling records.

Process consists of 10 tracks co-produced by Rodaidh McDonald. They all have the same purpose: to communicate the singer’s truth and traumas. Death, health issues and lonesomeness are the main themes, while he uses them as a vehicle to reach his mental well-being and to fully understand his own existence… An angel by her side, all the times I knew we couldn't cope / They said that it's her time, no tears in sight, I kept the feelings close / And you took hold of me and never, never, never let me go / Cause no one knows me like the piano in my mother's home.

This is one of the most sonically adventurous projects during the last few years (I guess). Electronic pads and synths are gradually blending with old school breakbeat drums and piano chords in Blood On Me. Percussions are imperious, delivering an experimental funk performance in Kora Sings. Reversed audio files sound imperfectly perfect in Reverse Faults, which serves as a bridge for the intoxicating Under… I see you manipulate your lover / Take cover, waves come crashing over us. And then, somewhere between the piano ballads and the voice trembling, Timmy’s Prayer comes along, channeling Enya and various ensembles from the Highlands in Scotland. At first, it’s weird. And then, you simply accept the fact that it works.

Process is a soulful album, without ending up being a part of the RnB genre. It’s electronic, reminding us a lot of Jessie Ware’s songs, while it stands on its own as a painful trip to self-discovery. Sampha lost his mother during the recording sessions. He had a lump in his throat, too. The thing is, you don’t have to know these pieces of information to feel his pain. You only have to let the music do the magic. After a couple of hearings, it finally gets you. And you find yourself sketching an image of him in your mind playing the piano in his mother’s home in London. That’s the process.

9/10

Adele - 25

It has been 4 years since "Rolling in the deep", but its success makes me think it came out like a couple of months ago. Or so. I feel the same thing about "Hello", but it actually came out a couple of months ago and that's weird. Cause it's not a bad song. What's the difference? Adele herself. It's her status and her distinctive voice which have created an Adele era in music and everything she does, it becomes an instant classic.

Maybe that's the misguiding thing here - it's not the perfect music album, but it's huge already. So you cannot concentrate on what she is trying to do. And that's pretty simple - she is trying to sing her heart out, without complicated arrangements and epic stuff. And this is wise, you don't need the perfect pop song and the perfect instrumentation for the pitch-perfect voice. It would be like Whitney or Christina singing Carly Simon or John Williams (awkward).

When "19" was out, she was that cute songwriter with the jazzy voice and her guitar, singing about drama, daydreaming and chasing pavements (my favorite album, still). But since then, she has become an actual diva (but with a sense of humour). And it's again wise and smart that she co-writes her songs with Paul Epworth, Greg Kurstin, Tobias Jesso Jr or Bruno Mars, focusing mainly on her vocals. Just because if you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one.

To the point now... It's the "21" sequel. The ballads are here ("Million years ago"), the pianos are here ("When We Were Young" ), the crazy vocals and the high notes are stronger than ever, while the drama has become sweeter and softer ("Send My Love (To Your New Lover)"). All the album producers, including Danger Mouse, have tried their best to build the songs around her ability to touch people's hearts and though every song has a different producer, the sound credit goes to Adele - it's all about her.

"25" is going to sell more than 3, maybe 4 million copies on its first week in the US alone. If you consider the fact that people don't buy physical copies anymore, this number in 2000 would have been 10 million copies and that's more than breaking a record. That's a proof of pure talent and poetic justice in music, in the arts, in the world. And, of course, it's back to basics. A for Adele (lame, but I had to)!

AnArtCalled... 8/10

Janet Jackson - Unbreakable

It was 2008 and Miss Janet had already done it all - she had recorded pop anthems, r'n'b classics, hip-hop/soul No 1 hits and Rhythm Nation milestones. And after an amazing 25-year-old career, she decided she had nothing more to say at that particular time. So she stopped making music, proving that a true artist knows when to take a fucking break. Wanna know what the smart thing is? She also knows when to start all over again and delivers one of the best albums of her career, as well as some of the best 90's-esque neo-soul tracks of the last 15 years.

Even though her first single, "No Sleeep", is a fine sample of her album's sound and many of us eventually compared the track to "That's The Way Love Goes", this effort is not "Janet" at all. The release finds her in a safe place, a mature state of mind and a creative mode, minus the desperate stress for a major hit. It's as sensual as "The Velvet Rope", as funky as "Janet", as pop as "Rhythm Nation" and as happy as "All For You".

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have produced the album, along with Janet herself. The approach is low-key and you cannot find a No 1 single for the Billboard charts in here, even if you count the Missy Elliott collaboration in ("Burnitup!"). And that's totally fine, just because this project reminds you her peak self almost 20 years ago, when she could dance her great butt off and still be considered a great musician.

The almost crunk&B "Dammn Baby", with its heavy bassline, can make your hips move like a real 90's bitch. "The Great Forever" and "Shoulda Known Better" have a gentle pop touch without being too independent, while "After You Fall" could be the lead single of a greatest-hits-baby-making album, which would contain at least another 5 or 6 Janet tracks. And then the "Night"comes, along with its obvious sexiness and you feel like opening a bottle of red wine on a Wednesday afternoon like it's Saturday night already.

"No Sleeep" is a great bridge to the low and mid-tempo songs of the second half of "Unbreakable", which serves as a conceptual continuity of the second half of "The Velvet Rope". And that's where you can hear Janet Jackson sing in and out of her comfort zone, asking for love and writing about her actual needs.

Janet has not always been true to herself and her music. She has recorded a couple of mediocre albums in the past and she tried to be hip and cool, when she didn't have to. But then again, she did know when to take a break, live and come back to write good stuff. So, please, let's give her some Grammy Awards in 2016. And let's also persuade Madonna to do the same at last. Someone has to remind her that she cannot be "Like A Virgin" again.

AnArtCalled... 8,5/10

Jazmine Sullivan - Reality Show

Miss Sullivan "Busted our windows" in 2008, released a second studio album in 2010 and went on a hiatus for 5 years. Well, in the meantime she was nominated for 11 Grammy Awards (not a single win). So, having already released a third studio album after all these years of "having some things to figure out", as she has stated in the past, it is a big deal. And it is, actually, a big deal.

The "Reality Show" is the first great album of 2015, along with the new Mark Ronson album of course. Contemporary r'n'b has finally found a way not to sound boring and old. Many artists have contributed to this the last two years (Solange, Janelle Monae, Miguel, Beyonce, Jessie Ware, Banks, Tinashe, D'Angelo), so maybe Jazmine Sullivan has taken advantage of the situation, in order to record her best songs to date.

If we were supposed to describe Jazmine's sound, it would be "Late 90's neo-soul records with an electronic twist, built on drum machines and angry vocals". She is not Whitney, Beyonce or Mary J, but she has a killer voice and she knows how to showcase its powers each and every time. She's not into vocal tricks, long notes or falsettos. She may not have a powerful head voice, she may not have a head voice at all. She is hurting her throat in order to hit the high notes and sometimes you think she needs a glass of water. Well, it's not that funny as you are listening to her album, cause her delivery is more than precise and soulful. In fact, she sounds like all the great gospel singers throughout the music history, who later became great r'n'b and soul performers (right, talking about Aretha). Plus, she sings with swagger and no diva attitude.

The album is produced by Salaam Remi (Fugees, Fergie, Amy Winehouse, Nelly Furtado, Nas) and Key Wane ("Partition" by Beyonce is more than enough), among others. "Dumb" works as a powerful urban intro, while "Brand new" serves as a standard contemporary r'n'b anthem that every Mariah or Alicia could kill for. Pianos in "Silver lining" help making the song great, though it's not. "#Hoodlove" is where the action begins to take place, as the singer sounds frustrated and determined for the first time in here. Yes, it's the "Bust your windows" sequel. The acoustic "Forever Don't Last" is the perfect surprise bridge for the rest of the songs, while... wait! There's a second "Bust your windows" sequel and it's called "Stupid girl". Smartass move. But "Stanley"? Not even close, almost a fail. Thank God for the "If you dare" outro. It saves the day.

Jazmine's "Reality Show" is a proof that once again the r'n'b/soul genre is stronger than ever these days. Swagger mode: ON.

AnArtCalled... 8/10

D'Angelo and the Vanguard - Black Messiah

We all know that it's been 14 years since the last time we had some D'Angelo music news. Well, that's almost a lie, he had many collaborations and featurings in other people's projects over the past few years, plus he learned how to play more musical instruments. So even if this was a hiatus or just a break or the time he needed to come back, it's OK. Not only because this album is a masterpiece, but also because he seems more determined and focused on something he can call his own - a unique material, a funk-guitar chaos all around, a vocal mess accompanied by haunted lyrics and neo-soul wisdom. That's what the "Black Messiah" is all about.

"Black Messiah is not one man. It’s a feeling that, collectively, we are all that leader.", says D'Angelo. But the fact that he penned every single track in this (with a little help from his friends, Q-Tip and Questlove from The Roots), playing almost all the instruments in the studio, suggests otherwise. And only one man can do this in such style and funkiness - Prince.

The structure of the songs is vague. Sometimes it's difficult to even spot the chorus or an actual melody. But somehow it works. It's a body of work that was inspired by pure fusion. You can mess around with the guitars and then drown in the soulful tender vocals of "Really love". You then go back to "1000 deaths" and yell at its aggressiveness, while you're thinking about the "Sugah Daddy" pianos and brass. But you cannot escape from the Erykah Badu-esque "Back to the furure", because that's the way this album rolls - You connect the dots from different songs and if you do it with love and respect, you can only hear one song, one voice, one guitar, one message.

"Black Messiah" is a tough-love project. It has been recorded in order to mess with your head and play with your emotions. It's a 14 year-old expirement that has just found its spot in the world. So be careful how you handle it.

AnArtCalled... 9/10

Mary J Blige - The London Sessions

The Queen of hip-hop/soul visited London earlier in 2014, in order to record maybe her best album to date since the release of "No More Drama" in 2001. I have no clue if the producers in the UK believed in her and just knew what she is capable of or if Mary J Blige just trusted her gut feelings and collaborated with a bunch of young and super-talented songwriters. Well, probably both. Anyhow, the results are simply extraordinary.

Anyone can assume that a new project by Mary J would be a list of uptempo soulful tracks combined with killer vocals. Well, you can count only on the second part. Because most of the songs here are written and produced by the house duo of Disclosure, the male version of Adele, Sam Smith, the person that has produced records for Florence and Adele, Eg White, and the UK's sweetheart, Emeli Sande. So, actually, the sound in "The London Sessions" is far from a Diddy or a Dre or even a Neptunes piece of work.

Everyone can relate to some drama songs, especially when they are sung by miss Mary J. No woman in the music industry can "hurt" her vocal chords like her, so that she makes you feel her pain. Thus, songs like "Therapy", "Not Loving You" and "Whole Damn Year" are all about breakups, crying, pianos and heavy songwriting by Sam Smith and Emeli Sande. The thing with this album, though, is that it's also a lot of fun. Disclosure and Rodney Jerkins have contributed their talents in tracks like "Follow", "Right Now" and "My Loving", creating an electronic, deep house profile for the singer, which is so unexpected and fascinating at the same time.

If you are a long time fan of Mary J Blige, then it's possible that you won't appreciate this effort. Or, at least, you won't cry that much. Smart move, you have to admit it. She recorded a great album with a european touch for a change, so that she can come back in a couple of years with some big drama songs, expanding this way her drama legacy. Kudos.

AnArtCalled... 8/10