The South London-born singer, songwriter, and producer known as Sampha significantly molded the sound of popular music in the 2010s. His extraordinary vocals and groundbreaking production abilities led him to frequent collaborations with artists like Kanye West, Frank Ocean, and Beyoncé, ultimately setting a new tone for himself in songs such as Drake’s “Too Much” and “The Motion.” Working with notable figures such as Solange, FKA Twigs, and Florence + The Machine also helped to advance his career.
He rose rapidly by age 28 through critical acclaim and commercial success after releasing his debut album Process in 2017. Afterward, though, he decided it was essential to take time away from constant work and praise from outside sources—instead focusing on personal development. He became a father—it was during this time that he planted seeds for his second album, Lahai (named after his grandfather), while finding inspiration from some unexpected places: Kodwo Eshun’s Afrofuturism-focused book More Brilliant Than the Sun; Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, plus teachings courtesy British physicist Brian Cox amongst other intellectual pursuits.
While preparing for what would come next creatively speaking, after achieving early life milestones—he kept working upon invitation. However, he chose opportunities that allowed him mainly act behind the scenes, still unlike before when the limelight seemed perpetual at times, succeeding big-league artist interactions like Alicia Keys duet featured within her self-titled effort released the same year same period, earning Grammy nomination c/o contributing towards Kendrick Lamar latest album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, with “Father Time.” Then, another moment got named directly via Stormzy’s song, “Sampha’s Plea,” and found a tracklist belonging to a project, This Is What I Mean.
During the process of creating follow-up records, built environments felt comfortable expressing doubts, fears, and concerns related to existence, mortality, and mental health; effectively fused concepts of Afrofuturism and magical realism along the way, making use of genre variety of soulful beats rap, infused rhythms, dance tunes jazz influenced inflections, West African-inspired sounds. Precisely, he confronts those themes over less than forty minutes while trying to understand love, self-growth, and divinity.
Listening carefully, album dynamics presents beautiful melodies with a sense of underlying discomfort—it keeps changing from one track to the next, especially percussion, which shifts between calmness and then suddenly turns agitated where high-pitched drum strikes become most noticed. “Dancing Circles” followed by “Stereo Colour Cloud (Shaman’s Dream),” impressions drawn from Steve Reich’s minimalist renowned works occur due to repetitive keyboard arrangements, whereas choir-sung parts emerge unexpectedly, adding extra tension spots that seem they overwhelm other musical elements representing a chaotic state mind met angst worry distress.
In terms of coping mechanisms sought out therapy and discovered power reading through Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, recognized globally since the 1970s, meaning life liberty from a seabird perspective helped him incredibly despite being deemed overly positive responses critics mainly two tracks stand out “Spirit 2.0” possesses luxurious melody accompanied rising guitar strums chilly synthetic sound slowly turning into fast-paced percussive nature jazz-like background, next one directly titled after named source featuring somber piano notes sandwiched in-between soothing choral sequences mixed bouncing video-game style electronic tones.
Sampha Sisay could’ve chosen to continue helping other artists produce music and make sporadic appearances alongside industry-leading colleagues. Instead, he created a solo project deserving of recognition and celebration to depict his complex emotional state and provide a glimpse of his transformative period pushing uncertain territories, making Lahai a special release. Wholeheartedly embracing the past, forming a bridge towards future appropriately derived grandparent name also shared—that’s profoundly evident music present lyrics intertwined within impacted people he knew personally still reaching broader scale audience simultaneously.
In Lahai, Sampha crafts a sonic universe that defies time and space constraints, all within a 38-minute window. Though the album comprises only 14 songs, it feels like it encapsulates an entire life of ideas. The album’s brevity belies its expansive nature, as it effortlessly melds genres, languages, and textures into a cohesive whole, thanks to Sampha behind the boards, Ricky Damian, El Guincho, and others.
Sampha’s gentle and assertive vocal delivery transforms personal tragedies into universal lessons. His voice guides a complex emotional terrain, elevated by a backdrop of electronic sounds that buzz, beep, and spiral. These modern distractions don’t detract from the experience; they amplify the raw emotions at the core of his work.
Lahai isn’t merely an escape from life’s complexities; it offers a nuanced perspective. The album is a melting pot of influences, from the skittering snares reminiscent of ‘90s jungle and IDM to the elegant minimalism that calls to mind the work of Steve Reich. It incorporates spoken word segments in French and Korean, funky basslines, and the textured sounds of West African Wassoulou, all anchored by Sampha’s ever-present piano.
This effort is a complex yet harmonious blend of musical elements that reflects Sampha’s multifaceted approach to life’s challenges and joys. It’s an album that invites you to think deeply, feel intensely, and perhaps see the world a little differently.
Standout (★★★★½)
Favorite(s): “Spirit 2.0,” “Dancing Circles,” “Jonathan L. Seagull,” “Rose Tint”