Fink
Biscuits For Breakfast

Pretty Little Thing.

Yes, probably the title of the first track could encapsulate the nature of this album.

Recently released by Ninja Tune, for which the author had already recorded his first album ("Fresh Produce"), "Biscuits For Breakfast" marks a radical shift in Mr. Fink's production and presents itself as a delightful anomaly in the label's catalog.

Having abandoned the territories of funk-infused hip-hop of his debut, he embarks on an apparently desolate path, far from any temptation to provide a personal version of the hybridization between the aesthetics of machines and the sounds of tradition, which seems to be one of the favored directions for a growing number of musicians on the journey towards a modern redefinition of the song form.

Instead, Fink captures with delicate sensitivity the essence of a sound rooted in the most twilight zone of folk and blues tradition, stripping it of any possible embellishment.

And melting it into a soul dimension, soft and vibrant.

He relies on the essential, painting with light but assured strokes, nine mostly acoustic pictures with sober and refined arrangements, where he places the stories that his intimate and warm voice is able to narrate with style.

A matter of style

A style that proves to be very personal, even when the ghost of the very first Ben Harper almost inevitably appears in the background.

If the most recent deviations of the latter are marked by overabundance, Fink's small, charming creature breathes inspiration capable of bestowing a new, splendid outfit even to a track like "All Cried Out" by Alison Moyet. Simply by stripping it down to then highlight its sensual nature through a delicate acoustic version entrusted to two guitars and a whispered yet intense voice.

But right from the start, from that "Pretty Little Thing" that excellently opens it, the album is a delightful surprise that doesn't betray as the listening progresses.

You naturally enter its sober yet welcoming sound universe. Even when the words reveal to us, as in "Pills In My Pocket," the face of disillusionment.

Fink then chooses a classic and minimal blues, "Hush Now," to make space for the voice of a female guest, Tina Grace. Who proves to be perfectly at ease, moving in the exhausted and smoky atmosphere shaped by the song's pace with seductive feline grace.

But it’s in perfect solitude, guitar and voice, that he accompanies us with the sparse "Sorry I'm Late" towards the exit.

I feel like I'm 21 all over again

I read in an interview with Fink about his appreciation for musicians like Joni Mitchell, John Lee Hooker, John Martyn. And about the enthusiasm with which he made this record, "I feel like I'm 21 all over again," he says.

It’s enough to listen to "Biscuits For Breakfast" to perceive how much the first statement finds excellent confirmation in his songs.

Which, however, seem to be the product of the inspiration of a particularly mature author, despite his "21" years.

A light yet dense album, simple and full of atmosphere.

A name to follow with certain attention.

A highly recommended listen.