Sampha is a U.K. singer/ songwriter whose music can be described as being both soulful and chilled all at the same time. Much like his most often compared contemporary James Blake, Sampha chooses to mix hot and cold in equal measure, but in my opinion, Sampha's vocals and choice of instrumentation set him apart. For one, while slightly similar to James Blake, Sampha's vocals come off as a lot more warm and inviting, which perfectly contrasts with the often cold and calculated nature of the instrumentals. In fact, the instrumentals here sort of remind me of a Radiohead album like The King of Limbs, but with 10 times the passion.
For example, while the opener "Plastic 100C" is very rigid and calculated almost to a fault, the following track "Blood On Me" has the same level of intricacy, but bursts into a fiery chorus that will send goosebumps down your neck. Other spots here hit similar highs, especially with the tracks "Under" and "Timmy's Prayer". However, Sampha does take a moment to revisit the instrument that made him love music on the track "No One Knows Me (Like the Piano)" which is very stripped back in comparison to the other tracks on Process and is a tearjerker to boot.
Aside from a slow start and a lukewarm ending, there's not much to point out flaw-wise on this album. This is the focused and passionate debut that I've been waiting for from Sampha ever since I heard him on Drake's album Nothing Was the Same. Simply put, Sampha has already carved out a spot on my end of the year list, and I hope that this year gives us more albums of this caliber sooner rather than later.
9.0/10
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