REVIEW: RAYE, 'My 21st Century Blues'
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Raye’s debut album My 21st Century Blues was a refreshing reminder of what it feels like to listen to a newly released project from start to finish that leaves you wanting more. After the promising lead single “Escapism.” featuring 070 Shake — which has steadily ramped up the chart since its release in October — My 21st Century Blues followed suit in a series of tracks that thematically variegate yet stay sonically cohesive. Raye’s sultry and full voice is in and of itself an auditory treat, and the production of the album elegantly mixes pop, blues, jazz and rap (just to name a few) in an exciting interweaving of sounds that epitomize an up-and-coming generation of musicians that are actively defying established traditional music categories.
“I’ve waited seven years for this moment, and finally, My 21st Century Blues is now out forever,” she says in “Fin.” The singer-songwriter was unable to reveal any more than a glimpse of her talent for years, despite having had a foot past the music industry door for some time now: she is credited as a songwriter for big names like Beyoncé, John Legend, Little Mix and Charli XCX, and has released 2 EPs. Raye was finally free to release her project as an independent artist after leaving her label, Polydor Records, which she claimed had pigeonholed her in a four-album contract in 2014 without ever letting her release a single one. The aftermath of this label dispute resulted in “a journey of healing,” which inspired “Hard Out There,” one of the album’s singles released ahead of the album. “It's super angry,” the artist said in a statement. “I was both crying and red with rage, just writing these lyrics, and capturing how I really felt in that moment.” Like a few other tracks in the project, the road from pain to empowerment is a distinguishable theme in My 21st Century Blues, as can also be heard in “Oscar Winning Tears.” and “The Thrill is Gone.” — both songs about leaving toxic relationships. Raye has the ability to couple heartfelt songwriting with floor-filling beats that I just can’t get enough of.
The format of the genre-spanning album transitions from track to track as if one were in a live music bar, creating an intimate atmosphere ideal for raw lyricism and the opening of vulnerable topics addressed in tracks like “Body Dysmorphia.”, as well as in “Ice Cream Man.” and “Black Mascara.”, which are about healing from sexual assault. As a woman, it was particularly touching to hear these topics addressed in a way that puts no pressure on having to get over them. Raye allows herself to articulate her anger and sorrow in a way that feels emancipating, as she writes and sings about “a pain,” she says “that can’t heal unless it is addressed.” By the same token of the South Londoner’s earnest lyricism, the confusion that comes with navigating uncertainties of life through cheap thrills is one that Raye encapsulates especially well in “Escapism.” and “Mary Jane.” — two songs with very different atmospheres that capture the different sides of addiction and unhealthy coping mechanisms.
In all her versatility, Raye is also an incredibly polished writer of songs that inspire confidence and assertively remind you of the badass that you are in times of doubt. She explores a bubblier pop in “Worth It” (a personal favorite), borrows from the gospel in ‘Buss It Down’ and dives more profoundly into her R&B side in “Five Star Hotels” and “Flip a Switch.” The weakest song in My 21st Century Blues is “Environmental Anxiety.” In all its redemptive qualities, it did not live up to the rest of the album’s production and lyrical prowess. The samples used of sped-up, anxiety-inducing voices and sirens felt a little bit cliché for a politically engaged song and the lyrics somehow didn’t feel as innovative.
I truly felt like I learned Raye’s story through My 21st Century Blues, with no previous knowledge of her discography. The album showcases the wide-ranging potential Raye has in reinvigorating the contemporary music scene and is a promising rebirth to her career as an independent artist.
You can listen to My 21st Century Blues here.