Raye's This Album May Contain Hope Reviews: Critics Praise 'Glorious' New Release
Following the huge success of her chart-topping single Where Is My Husband! and a string of sold-out UK arena shows, Raye has finally unveiled her second full-length release, This Album May Contain Hope.
Turning everything that made her debut My 21st Century Blues a chart-topping and Brit Award-winning success, Raye’s latest offering sees the London-born singer genre-hopping, belting it out and delivering the relatably introspective anthems with which she’s become synonymous over the last few years.
Early reviews for This Album May Contain Hope have been unanimously positive, with critics hailing its “ambitious” scope (especially in an era where pop stars have become notably risk-averse) and theatrical, maximalist approach.
In fact, even those who’ve been more critical of the project have still praised the sheer scale of the album, calling it “fascinating” and “unquestionably dynamic”.
Here’s a selection of what the critics are saying about This Album May Contain Hope…
BBC News
“Throughout, Raye sings like her life depends on it. Her vocal stacks and counter-melodies are full of intricate detail; and her phrasing is exquisite, even on the jazz numbers where lesser pop singers would come unstuck. It sounds like a lot. It is a lot [...] Not everything works, but in an era of AI slop, and meme songs designed for Tiktok clip-ability, it’s reassuring to hear Raye unapologetically going for broke.”
The Independent (5/5)
“Such fearless musicianship sets a stage on which great love can die like a phone battery, toxic south London lover-boys stalk the streets like B-movie beasties and our plucky high-heeled heroine must put on her headphones to dance away her despair [...] Her appetite for the heart-on-sleeve razzle dazzle of it all is glorious. This Music May Contain Hope is a pure audio spectacle that will have you screaming for an encore.”
Rolling Stone (5/5)
“There’s artistic growth, and then there’s the radical transformation of Raye [...] This Music May Contain Hope is an exciting, life-affirming listen that reminds you it’s never too late to turn things around. In a way, it’s the Raye story writ large, with absolutely killer choruses.”
The Guardian (3/5)
“Despite the moments that feel de trop, it’s hard not to like This Music May Contain Hope. It is wildly ambitious, in a pop era in which a lot of artists’ ambitions extend no further than maintaining their career. But the end result feels less like a showstopping grand artistic statement than a wild, fascinating, occasionally messy miscellany of ideas.”
The Times (3/5)
“The lyrics are excessively on-the-nose and the spoken-word sections bluntly expositional but the end result is unquestionably dynamic and outside of present trends – a rare thing in the commodified world of pop.”
The Telegraph (4/5)
“Given its emotional heft and likely cultural impact, it’s an album that could turn Raye into Britain’s Beyoncé. It’s a towering achievement.”
Clash (8/10)
“The ambition on This Music May Contain Hope is actually staggering, from the lavish orchestral heft of noirish opener I Will Overcome, to the racy flapper jazz of charmingly self-deprecating I Hate The Way I Look Today. Like it or not – I very much do – this is not an artist playing it safe.”
DIY (5/5)
“Could it have been edited or cut down? Who cares. It’s huge, expansive, bonkers and brilliant. It’s Raye at her very core, and it’s fantastic.”
Far Out (5/5)
“A theatrical magnum opus of pure triumph [...] in allowing the listener to give themselves over to its majesty, theatrical magic, and ultimate exhilaration, there’s nothing that stands in the way of its symphonic power.”
Slant (3.5/5)
“Tracks like Joy and Life Boat tip over into Instagram-ready platitudes [...] but Raye is refreshingly unconcerned with sounding corny. On This Music May Contain Hope, maximalism proves to be an effective cure for the loneliness epidemic.”
Raye’s This Music May Contain Hope is out now.