Sampha
Process

THE REVIEW

The young "Sampha Sisay" (age unknown, estimated to be between 27/28 years old), already under the protective wing of prominent artists worldwide, has debuted with his first project, which calling it troubled is an understatement. Just before the release (scheduled for July), he decided to reconsider, seemingly unsatisfied with the completed work, achieving a manic level of perfectionism. Indeed, listening to the album, one notices the meticulous attention to sound in every minute detail. A succession of harmonic fits, choirs, and electronic structures built on piano scores perfectly frame Sampha's soft voice. Minimal touches form a soundscape of "surgical perfection," creating an entire album. Hip-Hop is the protagonist, but there is no rap. It's an evolution of soul, a modernization of the genre with the help of electronics.
Piano and liquid atmospheres are "the base" of an album I easily define as a "masterpiece." A colorful mosaic of percussion, wind instruments, electronic and ambient sounds that comprises one of the most promising works of the last 5/10 years, a work that does not aim at the charts and above all does not seek to please everyone, designed more for the artist than for the audience.
It doesn't take a musical genius to realize they have a highly sophisticated album in their hands, with highly refined lyrics and sound.
The brutal honesty with which Sampha speaks about his mother who died of cancer, the difficulty in reconciling with his brother, and how, looking in the mirror, he sees himself as false, fake, is particularly striking.
Everything is in perfect balance on the beautiful melodic structures of the album, everything is perfect, so perfect that it doesn't seem human.