Sampha Lahai Young review

Sampha, Lahai: REVIEW

“Though his debut was a monumentally daunting act to follow, Lahai is a considerable artistic step forward for Sampha.”

Sampha, Lahai (Young)

Patience is a virtue. Six years after Sampha’s phenomenal 2017 debut album Process, the South London singer-songwriter is back in fine form with a stellar album, a more electronic-focused progression upon his forward-thinking take on soul and R&B. Certain songs — especially in terms of rhythm — feel a lot more skittering and chaotic in nature from a production standpoint, not unlike the stuff he’s done over the years with SBTRKT. His songwriting ability hasn’t wavered, as evidenced by excellent singles “Spirit 2.0” and “Only,” while “Dancing in Circles” is a paranoid, piano-driven number — complete with a rap break! — that’s also among the album’s highlights. Though his debut was a monumentally daunting act to follow, Lahai is a considerable artistic step forward for Sampha, and a superb body of work in general. 9/10 Trial Track: “Only”

“Only” by Sampha from the album Lahai

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