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Is James Blake right to flirt with R’n’B in his new album?
With Friends that Break your Heart, Londoner James Blake – a master in the art of romantic ballads – reveals the extent of his vulnerability through twelve luminous tracks. Musician but also producer of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, the Brit gives an R’n’B turn to this new opus thanks to several successful collaborations, notably with Slowthai or SZA.
In the trajectory of The Color in Anything (2016), musician James Blake, with his soulful electro universe, returns with an album as melodic as it is melancholic called Friends That Break your Heart. Announced last February on his Instagram account, this album, which was scheduled for release in September, has been a long time coming. In homage to a nineteenth-century romantic painter and poet William Blake, the title of this fifth opus unquestionably sets the tone. With his sensitive and poetic writing, James Blake demonstrates a sensitive sensitivity highlighted by simple arrangements. Between acoustic guitar and piano-voice, the thirty-three-year-old musician testifies to a touching vulnerability. As profound as they are endearing, his lyrical ballads with electronic textures draw a sincere self-portrait with melodies that are as sensual as they are avant-garde.
Carried by successful featurings , the album is not dark for all that. Thecollaboration with the American SZA for Coming Back as well as the one with Slowthai for Funeral bring a new rhythm to James Blake’s romantic ballads. The incendiary rap of the Brit is once again associated with the lyrical romances of the English poet, whose legendary DNA is now taking an R’n’B turn . The enfant terrible of London rap and the inveterate romantic had already collaborated last year on a track (Feel Away)
with a stunning video. Producer of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, the musician left London for Los Angeles and his musical influences are now definitely felt.
Friends That Break your Heart (2021),
by James Blake, available.
