Raye, “My 21st Century Blues.”

By Nathan Raju

The latest album from singer-songwriter Raye, My 21st Century Blues, is a breath of fresh air for the world of pop and a production masterpiece.

This concept album opens with a blues club MC, who introduces Raye, the producer Mike Sabbath and house band The Moon Girls. The soundscape is filled with muted conversations, clinking glasses, and reverberations of an intimate room. Raye’s superb songwriting transports listeners to vivid destinations, but her decision to ground the album in the context of a live performance serves to sharpen a key focus of the album: vulnerability. Raye is unwaveringly herself, and chooses to use her platform to empower listeners.

“Hard out Here” comes early in the album and shows that Raye, whose name is Rachel Keen, is pulling from hip-hop sources. The distorted vocals in the chorus, combined with her lush and angelic voice create a unique sound and a beautiful juxtaposition. Later in the album, “Black Mascara” showcases Raye’s incredible vocal range, with her harmonies and backing vocals filling out every frequency possible.

“Escapism,” feating 070 Shake, is a standout track. It opens with a single string loop that eventually transforms into a lush soundscape with full sonics and lyrics detailing a drug-filled frenzy of a nightlife. Somehow, it feels like a classic cypher, where the beat rotates to different artists. Raye breathes new life into the formula with a style that’s fully hers.

Raye continues to show mastery of her tools on tracks like “The Thrill is Gone.” Horns and bass hold down the groove section until the bridge, where the whole song slows down into a loose half-time section with an infectious groove. She stacks her vocals to fill out an entire chorus to create a goosebump-inducing part of the song.

The album continues to “Ice Cream Man,” the conceptual center point. Throughout her songs, Raye brings listeners into her life and into her work in the music industry, filled with abusive and predatory men, and finds power in exposing them. On this track, Raye relives a traumatic encounter with the titular “Ice Cream Man,” who places his “ice-cold hands” over her during a studio session. Raye refuses to shy away from difficult conversation. Instead, she chooses to highlight real issues in the music world and the realities of power dynamics within the industry.

However, My 21st Century Blues is a tasteful and lush album, with harmony vocals that are wonderfully thin and a sound that’s unique to Raye. She has established herself as an incredible vocalist and a force to be reckoned with in music. Additionally, Raye’s team pushes the boundaries of production. There is ear candy hidden in every corner of this album, and bright, bombastic sounds layered deep in the composition.

The end result is a work that is both gritty and beautiful. Whether you’re in the mood for introspective ballads or upbeat anthems, this album has something for you, and it’s a testament to her ability to capture the complexities of the human condition in a way that is both relatable and powerful.