Let me introduce you to the next R&B superstar; his name is Sampha. I first heard his haunting voice when he featured substantially on the song “Saint Pablo,” Kanye West’s late addition to his 2016 album "The Life of Pablo." The role of featured artist has been a familiar one for Sampha, who has also worked with Grammy-nominated artist Solange as well as with Drake, two artists far above Sampha’s level of notoriety (though not above his level of talent). But after being teased with collaborative bits and pieces, we have an actual full-length commercial album: "Process." And let me tell you, it was worth the wait.
Sampha’s music uniquely blends his soft, almost feminine crooning with the songwriting sensibilities of an R&B vocalist, all while maintaining a sonically electronic aesthetic to his music. His voice is grief personified, and his songs tell of lost love and the personal reflection that comes with it. The songs on this album are a beautiful mix of electronic and acoustic sounds that also occasionally feature some live drums. The result is a project that remains tonally consistent in terms of its moody, beautiful style but does it without becoming redundant. His electronic R&B sounds are seemingly dialed in from another planet on tracks like “Plastic 100 C” and “Blood On Me,” but they manage to stay intergalactic without sacrificing classic songwriting taste.
On these cuts, he also shows his craftiness as a vocalist: He demonstrates great passion and emotional potency at certain points, but he also conveys a certain shyness that I believe reflects his true personality. He knows when to really lay it on thick and fully embrace the sappy melodrama that drives popular music, and when to dial it back and build some tension. The song “Kora Sings” takes a little while to get going, but once it does, there is a certain instrumental fire that burns underneath it, driving the fast pace and busy melodies.
That being said, Sampha is not afraid to strip down the instrumentation and really get into the emotions he is trying to convey throughout the album. A fantastic example of this is the track “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano.” His skill at the piano and ear for catchy melodies are in full effect on this ballad in which he conveys his feeling that the piano acts as a sort of confessional for him, a place where he can expose a different side of himself. But a lot of these other tracks that do start out real easy have some surprises to them. For instance, the song “Timmy’s Prayer,” which initially swings like and old-school hymn but evolves into a piece of music full of electronics that propel the song to an exciting finish. The track “Under” is another awesome tune on the album, made beautifully eerie by the unsettling background vocals.
All in all, the album is a masterpiece that has something for everyone to love. Fans of R&B will find a sound similar to a James Blake, fans of pop music will find beautiful and infectious hooks, and fans of hip hop will see in Sampha the talent that their favorite rappers saw, as well. At a total time of 40 minutes, giving this album a listen is not a big commitment, and I highly recommend it.
Final rating: 8/10.
