Bird's Eye＜Colored Vinyl＞

Ravyn Lenaes stellar debut full-length, Hypnos, was a vivid, exploratory work filled with adventurous production, smooth but hooky vocals, and imaginative lyrics. The songs touched on house, Afrobeats, synth pop, and even 70s soft rock, but it all felt unified by a singular vision, and its held up extremely well since its release. Second album Birds Eye was executive produced by Dahi and features input from longtime collaborator Steve Lacy as well as the legendary Jam & Lewis, along with several other producers. As with Hypnos, Lenae takes her songwriting in different directions, dipping into lovers rock with sound system-ready bass ("Candy"), driving soul-rock (the strong, anthemic "Love Me Not"), and nearly industrial-sounding pop ("1 of 1," which fuses noisy electronics with chiming guitars and Timbaland-like stuttering beats). Much like Hypnos, the second track on Birds Eye is a killer synth pop jam. "Bad Idea," the exact opposite of its title, has booming drum machines and subtly racing synths, along with complex, head-spinning vocal harmonies. "One Wish," a duet with Childish Gambino, spikes a slow soul groove with erratic vocal samples, and the Ty Dolla $ign-featuring "Dream Girl" unexpectedly switches to a festive beat accompanied by intricate guitar pluckings and sweet whispers of desire. Hypnos song "Satellites" carried strains of Fleetwood Mac-style pop/rock, and several of the other guitar-driven songs on Birds Eye seem to explore that territory more thoroughly, making it seem like a more streamlined album. Birds Eye is more of a grower than Hypnos, but it gradually reveals itself to be another marvelous, multifaceted record. ~ Paul Simpson

オルタナR&Bと実験的ポップの魅力を併せ持つシカゴのシンガーによるセカンド・アルバムがCD化。DJダヒがメインで手掛けた今作は前作ほど尖らず、チャイルディッシュ・ガンビーノの客演曲も含めて丸みがあり、彼女の愛くるしい歌声が一層際立つ。ラヴァーズ・ロック風やタイ・ダラー・サインと歌ったジミー・ジャム関与のフォーキーなR&Bなど、清涼感に溢れた快作だ。
bounce (C)林剛

シカゴ出身の新鋭R&Bシンガー、Ravyn Lenaeの2ndアルバム。本作はKendrick Lamarや藤井風ら数々のアーティストのプロデュースを手掛けるDJ Dahiと制作しています。Childish Gambinoをフィーチャーした清涼感ある《One Wish》やTy Dolla $ignとの《Dream Girl》のトピックもありつつ、サウンド面ではR&B～アフロビーツを取り入れたオリジナリティ溢れる楽曲が満載です。楽曲によって多彩な歌声を披露しているところも本作の魅力のひとつ。大胆なクロスオーバーで新たな世界観を聴かせてくれる1枚です。
intoxicate (C)石田真生