Process

Sampha

Recommended for:

• Fans of alt-R&B like The Weeknd or The Internet

• Fans of electronic-soul acts like James Blake

• People who like the beep-boop noises in general

Pros:

• Unique and instantly distinguishable singing voice

• Solid vocal performances

• Mixes elements of R&B, soul, and electronica well

Cons:

• If you’re looking for the bangers, heed elsewhere

• That’s about it

Sampha Sisay, better known just as Sampha, is a young British singer-songwriter.  Sampha first gained recognition from his appearances with electronic act SBTRKT back in 2011.  Since then, this young man has been able to snag guest features from artists like Solange, Frank Ocean, Drake, and Kanye West.  While Sampha has been around for over five years, Process is Mr. Sisay’s debut album.  As one could imagine, there was great anticipation from Sampha fans, including myself, for this album.  Process was led with the singles “Timmy’s Prayer,” “Blood on Me,” and “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano.”

Sampha has crooned and sung the way into music fans’ hearts for over five years now, and he’s done so with only one solo EP to show for it.  But now the day has come.  We now get to really hear exactly who Sampha is; we get to see if he’s the real deal with Process.  After listening to this album, it becomes pretty clear Sampha is, in fact, the real deal.

Sampha isn’t the first artist to mix elements of R&B, soul, and electronica.  Artists by the likes of The Weeknd, The Internet, and my boy James Blake have been doing this for some time now, so what makes Sampha avoid being just another neo-soul/alt-R&B act?  One thing that helps him stand out in an increasingly popular genre is his voice.  Sampha’s voice has one of the more distinctive textures and tones I have heard in a while.  His soft, crooning, soulful voice is what truly gives these songs character.  On “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano,” Sampha’s delivery is soft, somber, and restraining.  That is, until the line “And you took hold of me and never, never, never let me go,” where Sampha belts this line with fiery passion.  It’s also his sense of restraint that he has with his voice that makes the intense moments more intense.  Another great example is “Blood on Me.”  Sampha begins the verse with a calm, yet slightly disturbed delivery.  As he gets into the pre-chorus, Sampha starts increasing the intensity in his voice before exploding in the chorus.  It’s friggin’ euphoric.  Overall, I was a big fan with Sampha’s vocal performance on this album.

The songwriting that Sampha provides on Process is quite impressive as well.  When I first saw the title for “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano,” I rolled my eyes a little bit from how cheesy it sounded.  However, this song turned out to be anything but.  This song deals with death of his mother and Sampha reminisces about the comfort he felt from playing music in his childhood home.  Along with this “(No One Knows Me)” are 9 other songs, which together compose a 40 minute long album with a good amount of diversity in each song.  The result is an alt-R&B album that is not boring, bloated, or too one-dimensional.  While there are no batshit crazy bangers on here, songs like “Blood on Me,” “Kora Sings,” and “Timmy’s Prayer” help Process avoid lacking energy.  “Timmy’s Prayer” is especially a favorite of mine on this album.  This song starts as a smooth, emotional R&B ballad of a lost love.  This all sounds familiar, of course, but midway through the second verse, the song drastically picks up and alters the mood.  Sampha goes from being somewhat melancholy and mournful over his lost love, to showing passionate remorse, frustration, maybe even anger at the situation he is in.  Once again, it’s his restraint in the first part of this song that makes this second half so emotional and, well, good.  

Sampha has made a nice little album here.  What’s presented here is not necessarily groundbreaking, but it is definitely well done.  He is able to carve out 40 minutes of solid alt-R&B material without ever becoming too unoriginal or bland in his approach.  He shows some solid songwriting with solid vocal performances throughout to accompany it as well.  Overall, there’s not much to dislike here for me.

Favorite Songs: “Timmy’s Prayer,” “Blood on Me,” “Kora Sings”

8.2/10