My 21st
Century Blues was a vindicating triumph for RAYE weeks before it was released.
The advance single "Escapism" topped the U.K. pop chart, giving the
newly independent singer/songwriter her greatest commercial success after
severing ties with Polydor. The label had signed her to a four-album deal and
after six years had yet to green-light the first LP. Increasingly frustrated by
artistic compromise as her scattered singles, featured appearances, and
songwriting credits for other artists continued to pile up, RAYE fought free
and justified her demand for autonomy with a theatrical smash hit about an
impulsive night out in the wake of a bad relationship. RAYE's debut album does
have the feel of a mixtape with its abrupt changes in production style and
subjects. In a way, it comes across simultaneously as an outpouring of
creativity and the clearing of a backlog, maybe a prelude to something more
refined and focused. Whatever the case, no list of recordings that shine a
light on either industry woes or survivorship will be complete without it. Take
the defiant, strutting "Hard Out Here," with RAYE nimbly scoffing,
"All the white men CEOs, f*ck your privilege/Get your pink chubby hands
off my mouth, f*ck you think this is?" More poignant is the chilling
ballad "Ice Cream Man," detailing an incident with a sexual predator
posing as a supportive producer, followed by RAYE revealing much more:
"And I was seven, was 21, was 17, and was 11/It took a while to understand
what my consent means/If I was ruthless, they'd be in the penitentiary."
The chorus begins with an understatement: "'Cause I'm a woman/I'm a very
brave, f*cking strong woman." "Black Mascara," the album's lone
sleek and uptempo dance track, is addressed to a man who spiked her drink. Even
the songs about distant lovers and everyday jerks have a more personal quality
to them than much of what RAYE released before. Not without reason did she
place a possessive determiner in the title of this album. None of these
uninhibited songs could have been half as convincing voiced by another singer.
That said, it's evident that she's using her platform to speak for others who
have lived through anything remotely similar.
Andy
Kellman. AllMusic.com
