Post #1043290

I've been listening to the new album by Raye, This Music May Contain Hope. Fair to say that it's Quite A Lot. A 73 minute concept album about heartbreak, depression and recovery, combining classic soul, jazz, showtunes, disco, acoustic balladry, house, contemporary r&b, spoken word, a bunch of other things that slip my mind. I find it interesting that she's spoken about how angry she was, when her record label insisted she work with famous producers, singing over pre-recorded beats. This record is very much not that. A million miles from that. Doing what the label wanted would probably have brought great global success, because Raye is unequivocally A Star, and has a huge voice. So credit to her for telling them where to stick it and going off to do her own thing. I loved this album. I thought it was stupendous in its boldness and creativity. Is it indulgent, a bit flabby in places? Sure. Could it lose a few of those 73 minutes? Probably. But heavens, it is a spectacular, epic attempt to do something unique and remarkable. I found that truly thrilling. https://rayeofficial.bandcamp.com/album/this-music-may-contain-hope https://raye.orcd.co/tmmch-listen #music #2026music