Words by Zahra Hanif
We’ve landed on Ravyn Lenae’s ‘Blue Island’. On Friday, the R&B singer-songwriter released her third studio album, and the first since her mainstream breakthrough with her viral chart-topping hit ‘Love Me Not’. While her audience has expanded exponentially, her new record carries all the charm and intimacy of her back catalogue as Lenae asserts a signature sound – an alternative take on classic rhythm and blues that is equal parts sweet and electrifying.
Opening single ‘Handle’ sets the bar high, as Lenae’s hypnotic chant (“Oh, my love, my love is like a landslide”) immediately hooks listeners into her soundscape with her latest earworm. Underneath the invigorating instrumentation, however, lies contrasting, more downbeat lyrics (“Where did you go?”), a theme consistent throughout the album as she repackages her complexities with a beat and a bow.
One of Lenae’s most remarkable talents is her musical versatility. While her music is categorised under R&B, her tracklist is coloured by influences from far and wide. The opening chords to gut-wrencher ‘Familiar Dreams’ echo early 00s indie coming-of-age tunes. Her duet with indie-rock favourite Dominic Fike, ‘Reputation’, takes the form of an acoustic ballad, pacing us down for a moment to allow her intricate songwriting to take centre-stage. ‘Let Us In’ sees groundbreaking electronic additions to her honeyed tones. Her stunning vocals thread the project together as she masterfully dictates our emotional state with her scope of sounds.
Lenae sticks to the method devised on her first two albums in terms of collaborations: utilising sparse, but thoughtful contributions from heavy-hitters. Along with Fike, woman of the moment Doechii makes an appearance on ‘Babygirl’, offering a more hopeful verse in Lenae’s track on feeling lost – thematically contrasting, but sonically complementary, as Doechii’s bars slot seamlessly into play.
All in all, ‘Blue Island’ sees Lenae honing her many talents, sanding her sound into pop perfection and cementing her status as an innovator as well as a musician. It’s gorgeous, gripping, and ultimately satisfying for fans new and old as we soak up the seasons on our songstress’s ‘Blue Island’ – truly a five-star stay.
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