James Blake - Friends That Break Your Heart (2021)

James Blake is a master of contrasts and restraint—understanding that too much of a good thing can knock people over. The good thing in question, of course, is his marvel of a voice, which effortlessly sails from its rich natural baritone to a songbird-in-the-cloud falsetto. It can match the high drama of an opera star and sometimes you get the feeling that, if used for evil, it could wipe out a landscape. So on his fifth album's opener "Famous Last Words," an aural cocoon of gently pulsing R&B with gospel flourishes, the strings and piano drop out periodically so as not to suck up all the oxygen. (It's like the musical equivalent of Coco Chanel's adage: "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.") "Coming Back" sways with lush piano and Blake's high-frequency "So I take it all! Take it all! Take it all back," before SZA slinks in and brings a cool, crisp edge—like a knife through full-fat butter. Love song "I'm So Blessed You're Mine" balances between The Voice singing alongside low-key instrumentation and ghostly "whoo"-ing over a busy hip-hop beat, sweeping strings and deep bass. Sometimes Blake ducks out all together—letting rappers Swavay and JID take over whole chunks of the strikingly spooky "Frozen." Soulful singer Monica Martin features on moody "Show Me," with Blake's baritone wearily intoning "I heard you had a sweet way…" before ascending to deliver the kicker: "That I've yet to see." Finger-snapping "Foot Forward" covers smooth piano R&B; "Life Is Not the Same" mixes a jazz mood, a low-key trap beat and a melody that recalls Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" era, Blake's voices wavering and quivering and sustaining like some hypnotizing force. But the scene-stealer here—indeed, one of the most stunning tracks Blake has ever recorded—is "Say What You Will," a collaboration with singer-songwriter Finneas (best known as Billie Eilish's brother and producer). World-weary and clever, it uses melancholy strings, choir-boy sighs and an ethereal melody to build a tastefully lush bed. "I look okay in the magic hour/ In the right light with the right amount of power," Blake sings. "I might not make all those psychopaths proud/ At least I can see the facеs of the smaller crowds." He has said: "The song is about finding peace with who you are and where you're at regardless of how well other people seem to be doing." Considering he's a favorite of Kanye West, has collaborated with the likes of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and has made a stellar album, it's unclear who he even has to be envious of at this point.

TRACKLIST

1. James Blake - Famous Last Words
2. James Blake - Life Is Not The Same
3. James Blake - Coming Back
4. James Blake - Funeral
5. James Blake - Frozen
6. James Blake - I'm So Blessed You're Mine
7. James Blake - Foot Forward
8. James Blake - Show Me
9. James Blake - Say What You Will
10. James Blake - Lost Angel Nights
11. James Blake - Friends That Break Your Heart
12. James Blake - If I'm Insecure