JAMES BLAKE – JAMES BLAKE

The use of autotune pitch correction has undertaken a curious evolution in recent years, from its origins as a subtle vocal photoshopping tool, to its flagrant overuse and standardisation by R&B producers. And now, James Blake has taken it somewhere very special. Rather than hiding any vocal imperfections, Blake’s glimmering autotune serves more as a percussive, cascading alter ego to his already perfect gospel alto. I Never Learnt To Share begins with the naked, heartfelt refrain “my brother and my sister don’t speak to me, but I don’t blame them”, before Blake’s second self chimes in, a twisting photo negative of dissonance that resolves just in time to welcome a scattered Casio take on a Harlem church organ. Blake’s imagination takes us many places over the course of the record; from the Aaron Neville piano soul of Give Me My Month, to I Mind’s schizophrenic, cut-and-paste R&B day-mare. But at the core of this new world of stylistic intrigue lies a voice of pure emotion and sensitivity, from which this record’s strength and captivation flows unedited. With this debut album reaching an unlikely “9” in the U.K. charts, Blake is being hailed as one of the most innovative electronic producers of recent times, but this is, in fact, the most fascinating gospel album ever made.

****1/2