Raye unveils bold second album This Music May Contain Hope with soul legends
A Strong Contender for Album of the Year: This Music May Contain Hope by Raye
With her debut album My 21st Century Blues, 28-year-old Rachel Agatha Keen—known professionally as Raye—already swept up six Brit Awards. She has since collaborated with Mark Ronson, the producer behind Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, on the soul track "Suzanne," set for vinyl release this April as part of Record Store Day. Before that, her second, meticulously crafted album, This Music May Contain Hope, hits the shelves. No fortune-teller is needed to predict the hype will reach fever pitch. The London Symphony Orchestra, Hollywood film composer Hans Zimmer, and soul legend Al Green all lend their talents to the project. Yet despite its playful opulence, the album—spanning rap, jazz, soul, and pop—never feels overstuffed.
The double album's four sides correspond to the four seasons. Raye begins with autumn, the season in which she scored her second UK number-one hit last year. "Where Is My Husband" is a prime example of the bold maximalism she excels at—a woman impatiently awaiting a man worthy of her. "He must need me completely," she belts over swirling drums and brass flourishes. In her art, Raye elevates love to the same dramatic heights as musical-jazz diva Laufey.
"I Hate the Way I Look Today" is a frenetic jazz number that doesn't just make your feet tap—it sends shivers down your spine. It's followed by the magnificent Memphis soul anthem "Goodbye Henry," where Al Green proves his vocal magic remains undiminished. Like that soul icon, Raye transforms hardship into musical beauty. The intro "Girl Under a Gray Cloud" seamlessly flows into the defiant "I Will Overcome."
In a recent interview, she asked, "Aren't we all broken people?" Her music, which helps her rise above defeat, is available without prescription. Raye champions self-love. On the cinematic "Click Clack Symphony," she unfurls desire in widescreen grandeur, while "Nightingale Lane"—a delicate ode to overcoming heartbreak—opt for intimate elegance. In the pub where her former lovers once met, a scorned Raye installed a plaque for an Instagram video, inscribed: "Raye experienced the greatest heartbreak she has ever known here." The crowd screamed with delight at the unveiling. Revenge, served perfectly. (Samir H. Köck)
Favorite Track:"Goodbye Henry"
