Album Review
RAYE - THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.
With a whopping one hour and thirteen minutes, spread across seventeen songs, RAYE is back with her second album THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. The record follows her independently released smash hit My 21st Century Blues. In between albums, RAYE has collected award after award, toured arenas around the world, and scored massive hits. Over the past few years, she has fully embraced who she is as an artist — and here, she showcases every side of that artistry. The album opens with a spoken monologue that immediately sets the tone. We know right away we’re in for something dramatic, theatrical, and unapologetically over the top. We’re invited into a world where overwhelming emotions are translated into big band songs. On ‘Beware.. The South London Lover Boy.’, she playfully warns her female listeners about players. It’s cinematic perfection — like the intro to a comedy-horror dating show. Bold, chaotic, and exactly what we expect from her. With tracks like ‘The WhatsApp Shakespeare.’ and ‘Winter Woman.’, RAYE gives the big band a brief rest, leaning more into R&B-inspired production. The latter, in particular, could have easily lived on her previous album. It feels like a continuation of her earlier work, offering a moment of familiarity within an otherwise musical theatre-inspired project. One of the album’s standout moments arrives with ‘I Know You’re Hurting.’. Having already performed it live, we remember hearing it back in January — and yes, tears were shed. The song is deeply relatable, and her voice feels like a warm hug, gently guiding you through whatever you’re going through. Surprisingly, ‘Life Boat.’ stays true to the emotional core of the previous song while flipping the sound entirely. Coming off a tender ballad, we suddenly find ourselves in the saddest club imaginable. It’s a subtle nod to RAYE’s past writing EDM hits. The track features friends and family repeating “I’m not giving up yet,” adding a powerful communal layer. As the beat builds, RAYE belts with raw intensity, convincing both herself and us to keep going. Beautiful. “This song is called I Hate The Way I Look Today” she announces — and that’s exactly what follows. Over a jazzy arrangement, she lays bare her insecurities with brutal honesty. Of course, the jazz influence brings some tasteful scatting along the way. The powerful theme throughout the whole album is how the singer manages to make you, the listener, feel like you are right there with her in the studio, on the big stage or simply in her room reading her diary out loud. Each and every song, no matter a serious or fun subject, feels personal and conversational. And when we say it feels like you’re in the studio with her we mean it, she even ends the song “We got it guys, every one has a cup of tea now” while her big band applauds the phenomenal recording. One of our personal favorites from her live shows, ‘Skin & Bones.’, finally makes its album appearance. It’s sharp, witty, and brutally honest as she calls out a lover: “He’s insane ’cause he thinks he can make love without having to love me!” It’s a modern love story with bite. Naturally, it flows perfectly into her number one hit ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?’, reinforcing the ongoing search for real love. If you thought you’d only cry once, think again. By track fourteen, ‘Fields.’, it’s time to grab tissues. Here, RAYE collaborates with her Grandad Michael in one of the album’s most touching moments. The song beautifully describes how we sometimes let life take over from what really matters in life. She beautifully invites us to listen to her message to her granddad “Dear Grandad, It's been so many months that I haven't called. Seems there's always something more important on my to-do list. All that I'm missing, chasing everything I lack, Grandad. Seems I dwell on what I don't have instead of what I do.” before asking him “Do you get lonely too, Grandad?”. Most of the song is traditionally sung in the first person, however, near the end, after we hear her granddad RAYE switches to the third person to continue the story. Goosebumps all over. We move one with more family members as RAYE’s two sisters Amma and Absolutely join her for the next song ‘Joy.’. We love hearing the three different personalities of the sisters all being respected throughout the song. Yes, it feels messy and overwhelming, the song is a lot to digest, but in the best way possible. We love how the song truly feels like it was a joy to record for each and every musician involved in the song. For the closing track, ‘Fin.’, RAYE ends on a cinematic note. She thanks everyone involved, quite literally reading out the full list of contributors. The credits are literally rolling like at the end of a film — a perfect, theatrical ending to an ambitious and deeply personal project.
