- "I've subdued a generation." That's what James Blake told The Guardian of his influence on popular music. At a time when hip-hop and R&B grow ever murkier, the statement rings true. First emerging as a dubstep wunderkind and then turning his eyes on computerized soul, he's become a favourite of artists like Drake and Kanye West, making an impact beyond what his music's meek, introspective nature might suggest. Blake's torch songs are journeys into his mind, where disembodied voices flutter like wandering thoughts or loop like obsessions. His first two albums were intimate, but his third—closely following appearances on Beyoncé's blockbuster Lemonade, and after a period of writer's block—sprawls out in every direction. It's the sound of someone figuring out how to come out of their shell, with all the brilliant moments and unnecessary diversions that entails.
Blake has said that The Colour In Anything was the first time he let other people in on his creative process, including noted producer Rick Rubin. He's also explained that the album represents a more mature and happy period in his life. And while the record isn't necessarily cheery, it does have a bigger, thicker sound. On the opening track, "Radio Silence," Blake's R&B-influenced harmonies are brighter than anything on his previous records. It's not a radical departure (the surging synths at the end go all the way back to the days of "CMYK"), but it's strikingly confident.
Most of the production on The Colour In Anything is a notch above Blake's previous work. "Points," for example, sounds as crumbly and defeated as its emotional state. The addition of siren-like sounds highlights just how unusual Blake's ear is—who else would think to pair such a tender voice with those brash noises? "My Willing Heart" demonstrates a similar deftness with loops, adding a near-orchestral backdrop, while late-album highlight "Modern Soul" glides on featherweight drum breaks. That track, with its unusually decisive melody, is one of the strongest moments in Blake's catalogue, and one of the finest invocations of his club music background since his stunning 2010 cover of Feist's "Limit To Your Love."
But at the centre of all that mind-melting production is the same forlorn James Blake. His music has always carried itself with an exquisite sort of pain, and despite promises that he stopped wallowing in self-pity, that hasn't changed much. The permanent ache in Blake's voice is one of his most arresting qualities, but it grows tiresome as The Colour In Anything wades through its 76 minutes. There's only so much injured warbling one can handle before it all gets a bit soggy, especially with Blake's half-mumbled delivery. Songs that could have been powerful, like the searing "I Hope My Life," grow tiring in the funeral procession that is Colour's midsection. And then there are the likes of "Noise Above Our Heads" and "Waves Upon Shores," songs that simply sound like pale imitations of the better ones around them.
A few tracks here put Blake's newfound confidence to good work. "Love Me In Whatever Way" is one of his strongest performances to date, and a rare instance of Blake emphasizing traditional R&B melody over his wispy post-dubstep version. On "I Need A Forest Fire" he teams up with kindred spirit Bon Iver for a masterwork of looping vocals and beautiful harmonies. When the two come together on choice lines towards the end of the song, they're utterly haunting. Tracks like these remind us of Blake's singular gift: his ability to make heart-rending music out of quiet sounds that glow and fade.
Though it doesn't feature Bon Iver, closer "Meet You In The Maze" might bear that American singer's influence the most. It also best represents The Colour In Anything's peculiar conundrum. Blake's heavily autotuned, barely-there ballad ends things on a meandering note, a head-scratching regression to his earliest time as a singer (the days when he was intentionally channeling Bon Iver on tracks like "Lindisfarne"). Here, the promise and brilliance of The Colour In Anything's best songs are replaced by a sense of listlessness. In his mission to keep things quiet and subdued, Blake nearly snuffs out his own flickering flame.
Tracklist01. Radio Silence
02. Points
03. Love Me In Whatever Way
04. Timeless
05. F.O.R.E.V.E.R
06. Put That Away And Talk To Me
07. I Hope My Life (1-800 Mix)
08. Waves Know Shores
09. Choose Me
10. I Need A Forest Fire
11. Noise Above Our Heads
12. The Colour In Anything
13. My Willing Heart
14. Two Men Down
15. Modern Soul
16. Always
17. Meet You In The Maze