Propelled to fame by his associations with SBTRKT and Jamie xx at the beginning of this decade, Sampha has kept audiences tantilised and waiting rather impatiently for the past seven years. However, as Liam Curran decides, the quiet powerhouse's debut album is worth every minute.
The wait is over: at long last we now have the debut album from the South London singer-songwriter Sampha. Process is an enchanting collection of songs showcasing his rich, smooth vocal pallet paired with true lyrical ingenuity.
His apparent ‘slow’ work rate can always be trumped by his unquestionable ability to create genuine brilliance.Having gained notoriety lending his voice to the likes of Drake, Frank Ocean, Kanye West, Beyonce, SBTKRT and Jessie Ware and releasing such singles as ‘Happens’, ‘Too Much’ and ‘Timmy’s Prayer’ the world of music has been rooted in anticipation for a Sampha LP. Its arrival proves Sampha is continuing to project his raw artistic talent into his solo work.
It would have been easy for him to call upon his extensive connections and utilise collaborations for beats and verses to create a glossier album. But the 10 track record, with no featured artists, seems more refined and packs substantial artistic integrity, making it powerfully personal. His apparent ‘slow’ work rate can always be trumped by his unquestionable ability to create genuine brilliance.
The album centres around the themes of love, loss and as the title Process would suggest; discovery and development. Raw intimacy is quickly becoming Sampha’s signature. With the recent loss of his mother it is easy to understand why so much of his work focuses on figuring out his world, the people in it and his own identity. Lyrics such as "no one knows me like the piano in my mother’s home / you would show me I have something, some people call a soul" become powerfully poignant indicators of Sampha’s journey of self-discovery. Other lyrics such as "the more your light grows on me/ the closer I think you are/ to seeing me whole" perhaps merge more positive themes such as love with his quest for understanding and fulfillment.
It is on this track ‘(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano’ that you can fully appreciate the artistic prowess of Sampha. With just his voice and a piano, he is capable of making truly extraordinary music. Throughout much of the rest of the album there remains a smooth, electronic, atmospheric tone often blended with a mixture of ambient sounds. At times such as ‘Kora Sings’ and ‘Plastic 100c’ the pace undoubtedly lifts into a dance rhythm, and in ‘Blood On Me’ there is a real sense of chaos and release.
Sampha will now undertake a world tour with Process, stopping at Bristol’s O2 Academy on the 27th March. Already booked in for Coachella, Parklife, and tipped for a variety of other festivals it looks as if he will be a regular across this summer’s live music season.
Tickets for Sampha's Bristol gig are available via O2 Academy Bristol.
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