Album Review: My 21st Century Blues by RAYE
Allow her to reintroduce herself: Her name is RAYE.
At 17 years old, RAYE signed a record contract with Polydor after releasing her debut EP, Welcome to the Winter, in 2014. Since then, she has released several EPs under her name, worked with top-charting dance artists, and contributed to the writing of songs by big-name artists. A first record from RAYE never materialized; by June 2021, she had had enough. When the relationship finally ended, it did so with a roaring cacophony of conflicting words. After her persistent attempts to convince the company to let her record an album were fruitless, she unleashed a powerful critique of sexism in the music business.
It needs to be clarified if her issue was that her former label wanted creative control over her output, that they refused to release an album, or both. If the latter is true, their behavior was more than condescending; it was also wholly inexplicable. As soon as her debut album starts up, you'll be assaulted by great song after another.
RAYE seems inevitable, and rightly so. On the heels of the viral success of Escapism, which featured the upbeat 070 Shake, comes My 21st Century Blues. This song is fantastic in its own right, being both catchy and episodic, with booming drums giving way to passages of strings and sung-spoken lyrics. A brilliant song and devoted fanbase may triumph against the priorities of a vast label, as was the case with RAYE.
The energizing, affirmative Hard Out Here shows the singer flipping the bird to the patriarchal music industry by calling out white man CEOs. In contrast, the euphoric Black Mascara shows RAYE's talent for penning floor-filling dance hits, albeit in a different direction from her previous club anthems by coupling darker, bubbling beats with tragic lyrics.
Over a dancehall beat, Flip a Switch weaves together a beautiful cross-stitch of guitar and electronics that manages to be both soft and firm. Despite having catchy choruses, the lyrics of blues-influenced songs with a three-peat of tracks are surprisingly robust. Mary Jane is about a former addict who sings her farewells to marijuana, alcohol, and the "chemical hug" of opiates; The Thrill Is Gone is a story of an abusive relationship set to urgent, horn-punctuated funk; and Ice Cream Man, RAYE sings about a sexual assault she experienced with minimal accompaniment and a nailed-on tune.
There's nothing particularly offensive here (though the sped-up vocal sample on Environmental Anxiety comes dangerously close). Still, your interest wanes as the album shifts gears to focus more squarely on pop in the second half. Even a gospel choir can't prevent the ballad Buss It Down from playing. There's a suggestion of more of the same in the auto-tuned flow of Five Star Hotels with Mahalia, which doesn't keep it from seeming a bit formulaic. It could compound the problem since the attention of pop producers has kept gospel choirs instead hurried off their feet in recent years.
RAYE's debut may have some flaws, but it contains enough songs that might become hits with enough attitude and character to make her present popular. The album is very personal, reflecting her desire to learn about and express her complex emotions and experiences, including grief, prejudice, and a warped sense of self. This is who she is as a person. That sums up My 21st Century Blues well.
While its history does raise some interesting concerns regarding the treatment of female musicians in the music industry, one gets the impression that RAYE is more focused on the future, which, according to this album, is looking a lot brighter than it did years ago.
Great (★★★★☆)
Standout Selections: Hard Out Here / The Thrill Is Gone / Ice Cream Man