ARTIST:
JAMES BLAKE


ALBUM:
JAMES BLAKE


KEY TRACKS:
LIMIT TO YOUR LOVE
I NEVER LEARNT TO SHARE
WILHELM SCREAM


"I don't know about my dreams"


I was completely misled by everything about this album.  James Blake is a dub step producer and his album was categorized under DJ/dance...so naturally I assumed it would be in line with other dub step artists.  I was wrong.  Really wrong!  This album is heavily reliant on components found in modern R & B songs.

But to call this album R & B doesn't do it justice.  This album is very complex, very cerebral and needs a few good listens to really sit in.  Yes, there are R & B elements but Blake puts such a complex spin on it so that it really is in a category all its own.  Yes, R & B is most blatantly present in the top notes but there is also some dub-step, soul, and perhaps even ambient? Blake's musical talent is not derived from all the instrumentals he composes, but the lack of them.  


Most of the tracks are quite minimalist:  simple beats with looped vocal samples.  Now and then you get that heavy bass common in dub step, but it's often unexpected and layered with crisp beats.  As a result you get a genre that's....well, James Blake's.  Certainly a unique effort to say the least. 


Blake's self titled album has received critical acclaim from all the blogs for his musicianship, which is undeniable upon first listen.  This young man from Britain certainly has talent.  But is this something I'd seek out on my own?  Probably not.  I'm not one for soul, I prefer more...well, more!  But I do recognize talent when I hear it.  Also an enormous amount of auto tune is a pretty good way to turn my stomach which is present here but it's not at all abrasive.


In fact, Blake has a lovely, beautiful voice that doesn't need to be muddied up by auto tune or cloudy backing synths.  It's one of the best I've heard in a long time.  It's what's driving this album.


Overall this album is probably too progressive for it's own good.  Nothing out there sounds quite like this. In some ways its really refreshing to hear music that isn't overworked.  So is this what's in store for music in the future?  A turn towards the basic backbone of music production?  Minimalist styles do seem to be the fashion in the musical world, but I'll stick to heavier compositions for now.  

LISTEN:  I NEVER LEARNT TO SHARE |  THE WILHELM SCREAM  | LIMIT TO YOUR LOVE

NEXT WEEK: FLORENCE + THE MACHINE  |  CEREMONIALS