A great addition, although it is a little same and is a little new to guarantee staying power
This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.
Lahai is the second studio album by English musician Sampha, released on 20 October 2023 through Young, marking his first release in over six years. The album is named after Sampha's paternal grandfather. The album features contributions from Yaeji, Léa Sen, Sheila Maurice Grey, Ibeyi, Morgan Simpson, Yussef Dayes, Laura Groves and Kwake Bass. Lahai was released to widespread critical acclaim. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 21 on the UK Albums chart and number 1 on the UK R&B Albums chart. Following the critical success of his debut, Process, which explored themes of loss, Lahai marks a shift to a more optimistic space inspired by fatherhood. Raised in a family with Sierra Leonean roots, Sampha's musical influences range from Todd Edwards to Groove Armada. In describing his creative process, he speaks of drawing out "the general idea [he's] angling at" and "circling back to add color and texture." 2017's Process showcased a global sound palette, blending grime, African folk, jazz, and R&B. In Lahai, Sampha refines this fusion, seamlessly merging live soul music with synthesizers and drum machines. He explains, "I wanted to create a space that felt free, to try stuff out without the expectations of a huge headline show." Upon release, Lahai received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to mainstream critic reviews, the album received a score of 87 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album an 8.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. The Guardian's Alexis Petridis named it his album of the week and called it "jittery with anxiety and indecision, yet poised and luscious".
A great addition, although it is a little same and is a little new to guarantee staying power
Imo, we already had enough records like this one in the original list. They sound all the same to me
9/10. This was super cool, would switch between several different sounds and styles so suddenly, with instruments coming in and out, switching from singing, to spoken word, and then speeding that up into rap… and it all fit together.
I liked this a lot, an artist I'd probably never have heard of outside this. Interesting lyrics, some unusual and subtle stuff going on with the music. Admittedly pretty arty, but we'll executes art and attracting a lot of talent. To me it was perhaps mellow and low-key to a fault, and could some faster paced intervals of funk or jazz or something elements.
A cool listen. 8/10
There a lot of really interesting stuff going on here. There’s some progressive R&B with a good dose of electronic, ambient, and jazz. What really stood out to me were the gospel chord changes throughout. What really stands out to me here is the use of changing textures throughout. It makes for an interesting experience that rewards close listening. My first listen through I was doing something else and the album didn’t make much of an impression. However, when I sat down and devoted my attention to it, it really opened up to me.
This album feels like it's building up towards something that never quite pays off.
Really smooth, but nothing that evokes any type of emotions, either love or hate. Doesn't really make any promises, but also doesn't disappoint, or worse, offend.
In my opinion, any album less than 10 years old shouldn’t be included in any Best albums lists. Not that the album is bad, it’s just that is still a baby album, has a lot to do to gain its place in the musical world
This album seamlessly blended 4 or 5 distinct musical genres into something I struggled to stay awake for. 1 point for referencing Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, but then 1 point taken away for making it really, really boring. Otherwise... it's like the wikipedia critics listened to a completely different album. Going by critical opinion alone, this should be 2023's answer to <big 1970s album>. Didn't anyone (other than me) listen to this and just feel completely underwhelmed? bored? impatient? 1/5.
This is my kryptonite. It’s a jazzy electronic rap R&B vibe that’s all over the place and isn’t particularly fun to wade through. It sounds somewhat tolerable, but other than wave therapy, they all pretty quickly become irritating.
Rating: 10/10
Genuine surprise, very good album with loads of influences. 4.7
Very good. Beautifully and soulfully sung with the bonus of interesting experimental dance music. “Experimental” always works well when there are solid songs sung attractively so that the production doesn’t become the overriding factor. Deserves the awards.
Alternative R&B, soul. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
Sampras second album is a masterfully produced and fantastic composition of an album. I prefer Sampras first album but this one is also still excellent. He has a unique sound of modern production with soulful and strong lyricism. I will listen to both of his albums but the first one just a bit more than this one. 8.3/10
Nokkuð gott, fallega dreamy andrúmsloft.
A mellow groove...
I'd always been put off by his guest appearances, where he's always gentle, maybe a bit mopey. But left to do his own thing, it's way more jittery and weird than I thought it'd be and really interesting.
This was fine and I think really is ideal for when you want music *on* but don't want to actually *listen* to it.
Although this is normaly not the kinda music I would listen to, this was quite enjoyable.
It's a strange one because this really isn't my type of music but he's got such a nice tone to his voice. I'd normally give 1 star for this sort of music but it's actually a lot better than I expected.
I don't know that I needed to hear this album before I shuffle off, and it's probably way too soon to really consider it in that light. That said, this a soulful and smart album, and I enjoyed it. Thanks for recommending it. My main critique is that I wish sometimes that Sampha had been more restrained with the use of the vocals. There are moments when something really cool and nuanced is going on musically, and his vocals get in the way. Fave Songs: Dancing Circles, Jonathan L. Seagull, Spirit 2.0
Ok, but there was a sameness to the songs that started to become a bit dull. Not terrible but not anything that stood out much either.
There were some moments where I really got in the groove of this, but mostly I didn't.
A good jazz contempo album
Lahai sounds real nice. Somehow each and every part sits far back in the mix; Owen Pallett's name in the credits was the biggest thrill he supplied. Where the record sits between influences is clear-ish, the case young and less so.
At the first song, I thought I would want to turn off the music very quick. But the second song I liked more. After that the album went a bit boring and much of the same
This didn't do it for me.
I tried, but I just can't get into this. 2 stars.
3 Very worth a listen 2
Didn't really click, felt generic
Mmmm.... no
Not sure what it is but every one of this guy's vocals sounds whiny and pleading. Couple that with some mostly generic ambient music in the background, and this was an absolute struggle of a listen. Also, this came out a little over 6 months ago – maybe allow critical reception to cool first before adding it to a list of all-time albums? Just a thought.
Nope. Not for me. Rating: 1.5 Playlist track: Satellite Business 2.0 Date listened: 08/10/24