Bringing us safely into our Top 20, we have the Mercury Prize nominated, Everything Is Recorded By Richard Russell by Everything Is Recorded.
I had this pegged as a solid contender for the top spot in this year's Mercury shortlist and given the sheer calibre and number of contributors on this record, it's extremely easy to see why. The concept for the album was created by head of XL Recordings and music industry champion - Richard Russell. After working with, signing and influencing some of the biggest names we have in music today, from Adele to Thom Yorke, Richard has put together a team of newer artists to forge this gem of a record.
Richard's experiences with Guillain-Barré Syndrome come through here-and-there in nuanced ways throughout the album, at one point sampling the phrase "There are moments in our lives where we feel completely alone". As sombre as the thought is, ultimately the album leaves the listener feeling hopeful. However, the album did fall short of my original expectations - with the roster being what it was and with Richard Russell at the helm, this had the potential to be ten times better. It's a safe take on the album we could have had, and so that hopefulness stretches towards any new material coming from Everything Is Recorded in future.
Golden nuggets for me at the moment are "She Said (feat. Obongjayar & Kamasi Washington)", "Show Love (feat. Syd & Sampha)", "Be My Friend (feat. Infinite)", and "Everything Is Recorded (feat. Sampha & Owen Pallett)". Giggs' feature makes me smile every time I listen but essentially it was most of the tracks featuring Sampha that struck a chord. He's the key feature in this project for me and his touch on each of these tracks is considerably different from the last yet equally as memorable. Each of the collaborators add their own subtle touches and stamps on the record but the samples from past recording sessions and older soulful generations tie the album together very well.
Have a look at what album ushered us into the Top 20 last year here.
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