Thoughts? Much love for Raye on this forum. The singles are clearly big statements. And boy can she sing. But *** from The Guardian for the album’s 17 tracks.
I’ve only had one listen so far. I like the theatrical nature of the tracks and the big orchestral sound. One to savour I think that will grow on me over time.
Two listens now 
.
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Not played it through yet but the album is a nice package.
Tbf I was smitten with Raye some years ago now and find her hard to fault, even when she gets a bit too ‘artistic’. Wonderful talent, creativity by the bucketload and a proper showwoman.
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I Have this arriving tomorrow, so will let you know. 21st century blues is a very high bar to beat and i really hope Raye can do that.
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First listen, albeit while cooking dinner, was positive. Some very theatrical, Bond theme-esque and jazzy tracks. Possibly fewer dancey tracks than 21st Century Blues.
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I like it. A good old fashioned ‘concept’ album, something a bit different. Sometimes over self indulgent but good fun.
Well recorded as well and a nice, no-noise vinyl pressing.
Having heard it for the first time this afternoon. Along with @Jamiewednesday i did find it a bit self indulgent. That said, i also found it very very original and not at all like any other “concept” album i have ever listened to. This one has not wowed me straight out the box in the same way 21st century blues did. But it will keep drawing me back to discover new things. It sort of reminds me of the same way i viewed tales from topographic oceans in the 1970’s, i liked it when i first listened to it and came to absolutely love it.
I have only given the album a single listen. That might be enough. For me, this album is what happens when one takes a talented artist with a decent voice and allows music producers to prevent her from displaying her talent. Then you take what is left when the producers have done their worst and extract whatever life might remain in the music with excessive compression. Someone compares it with ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans’. That was overkill as well! I would like to see RAYE record an album at Ronnie Scott’s with a jazz quartet backing her. Then we might be able to hear her true potential.
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Raye did a late night performance at Ronnie Scot’s last September. By late night, i mean it started on the 23rd and finished on the 24th 
Bet it was good! I am saddened that in this era, it appears that producers, rather than artists, have control of music.
Well, i have listened to this 3 times now the whole way through. I can honestly say that i am so disappointed. Not only for myself but for Raye herself, she is soooooo much better than this. In fact i don’t think anyone can say what i feel much better than the review below, just about the most honest review i have have watched.
Eldest daughter ordered it on vinyl and its sat on her desk and she is very dissapointed with it based on listening to the tracks via streaming so she hasn’t bothered opening the package yet.
Return it Adam?
Second listen, more closely than last time. Quite a lot I liked. Yes it is a bit over-indulgent and OTT, but I like all of modern musicals (Hamilton/Wicked), older Bond themes and Jools’ Hootenanny big band quasi-jazz; all interspersed with some more upbeat numbers. The vocals are also top notch. Shame about the unnecessary narrative/introductions (which would work better in a live performance) but I can overlook them. Possibly a grower.
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It’s very good.
Skim listened to it a few days ago and only liked a couple of tracks.
Listened to it all yesterday and liked about half the tracks.
Just listened to it again. Apart from Fields, I hate the way I look today, and the first and last tracks, I’d say the rest are very good, some excellent.
I’m surprised, because I’m not really a fan. Switched off her Glastonbury set half way through, because it was so boring.
Neil, that’s a great suggestion, but it’s my daughters 
. I do a lot for them but that’s their territory.
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I meant suggest to her that she returns it.
No I got it Neil, just joking.
Based on the comments on the forum on the album she may have been a bit reactionary and it’ll probably end up in my collection.
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Third listen was more enjoyable still. It does feel a bit like the soundtrack album to a modern musical with some live concert elements (esp. the track introductions), but that’s OK by me. Track 1 and track 17 are easily skipped, although the latter is akin to the scrolling credits on a film I guess. I certainly admire her ambition and her talent.
Hmm. Well I admire the ambition and the creative control, and I don’t entirely agree with the video reviewer, but It’s had my regulation 4 plays and it’s a serious mis-step for me.
- Yes it’s the soundtrack to a musical we’ve yet to see but would we want to? As the reviewer noted, it’s incoherent and busy. There’s no music here which flows or lives or breathes. No space in it at all. The voice is indeed processed to death in places and the music is cluttered and lacks dynamics.
- Meta commentary is a modern thing but it rarely works. Miss Universe by Nilufer Yanya maybe, but not really. Programme out the guff and you’ve a great album. The last two Solange albums fall into the same trap and only one escapes because it has actual songs. This? Where are the songs? It’s all so slight. Superficially impressive and modern but not actually memorable.
- It’s that very modern sense of being designed by committee where the committee believe they’re showing what a wonderful artist the artist is by virtue of their range and their many facets/faces whereas what they’re actually showing is a lack of a solid base. A scramble around for “this’ll pull those people in whilst this’ll pull those other people in.” It confuses methodically covering every demographic base for sales purposes with showcasing an eclecticism which means something and makes a mess of both.
- A very real sense that some smart arse watched recent diva careers such as those of Gaga or Aguillera and decided that they don’t need a solid base of 3 or 4 albums of truly great songs or performances before they branch out creatively into other genres, into TV, film etc. Nope, the message here is that, having gotten that first album out of the way, having been obstructed professionally for so long, she has the right and doesn’t need permission to take multiple shortcuts, open the floodgates and go straight to the square marked “multitalented diva legend”. As ever with such poor advice what you’re left is something quirky but of negligible substance. Would be amazing if the next single came from this, or possibly disastrous. The creative floodgates have opened but she appears to have tripped in a very shallow puddle and drowned.
I struggled to find the hope in this music tbh. It was mostly superficial eclectic moaning.
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