The renowned pop artist known as Raye is known for combining different genres and eras of music for the purposes of storytelling that feel almost cinematic in nature. This was especially prevalent in her last album, My 21st Century Blues, a project that combined pop and R&B to tell the autobiographical story of the artist herself. (Escapism and Worth It are definitely my favorite tracks from that particular album.) Keeping Raye’s knack for storytelling in mind, I wanted to do something a little different for this listening experience. I went to my local record store and got the album on vinyl. I didn’t hear any songs or singles from the album prior, so I was going into it completely blind. Opening the packaging of the vinyl, I was surprised to see a booklet that not only contained the album’s credits and lyrics, but also resembled a playbill given to audience members before a stage play starts. It was from this moment I knew I was in for a ride.
To say that This Music May Contain Hope took me on a journey would be an understatement. From the intro to the final track, we were are once again taken through the a period of time in Raye’s life, utilizing her captivating vocals and different genres such as old school pop, R&B, jazz, house, and even cinematic orchestral arrangement (some of which courtesy of movie composer Hans Zimmer) to tell a story of heartbreak and resilience, all with the underlying theme of hope. (Happier Times Ahead is now my new motivational jam.) The story that’s being told spans four acts/seasons of the artist’s life and I don’t think I can praise it enough for it’s variety, shifting from Al Green inspired funk and Ella Fitzgerald inspired jazz to musical theater that belongs on the best stages on Broadway. (The legendary Al Green was actually featured on the track Goodbye Henry, another one of my favorites from the project.) As mentioned before, this album covers all the thematic bases from a storytelling standpoint, as Raye chronicles her internal and external struggles with vulnerable and honest lyricism that implores listeners to continue searching for the light at the end of the tunnel. This Music May Contain Hope was a phenomenal body of work that begs to be listened to front to back, without interruption. (I really felt like I watched a Broadway production by the end, complete with the final track of Raye naming all of the musicians and producers involved with the project.) Between this and The Romantic by Bruno Mars, the spot for my personal favorite album of the year is going to be a tough pick indeed.
Noah Robinson 