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Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Jon Batiste didn’t have to reinvent his sonic wheel for his latest album, ‘World Music Radio’, but he did. The Louisiana native has been releasing albums since his 2005 debut, ‘Times In New Orleans’, making dents at the top of US Jazz charts along the way. He also spent seven years as music director and bandleader of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, ending his celebrated tenure in 2022. That same year, his album ‘We Are’ which blended hip-hop, jazz and pop under uplifting lyrics highlighting the impact of Black culture picked up five Grammys, including the coveted Album Of The Year award. So why didn’t he head back into the studio, set to compose more of the same? The answer was inspired by something out of this world.
As the Louisiana native recently told NME, the title ‘World Music Radio’ refers to a “radio frequency, broadcast across the universe and beyond”. It came from an idea that piqued his interest, a news article about a super-transmission discovered in space. “No one knew where it came from or what it was broadcasting,” Batiste said. “It’s different to any other transmission that’s ever been discovered.” The album plays out cinematically, with a main character DJ guiding listeners through each song and collaborators taking on the role of other actors in the film.
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The expedition takes 21 tracks to complete, opening with a quick intro as a DJ called “Billy Bob Bo Bob” tells listeners they’re about to take an aural journey around the world. The first stop is ‘Raindance’ which features Native American quartet Native Soul and starts with a slow bubbling bass line before bursting into full bliss, with Batiste begging, “Give me love for the life of me” over Afropop textures and sparkling walls of sound. It’s a perfect example of his ability to not only play by the rules of the pop handbook but swerve into imaginative territory.
‘World Music Radio’’s approach to universal music also means tapping a wide range of collaborators from multiple genres and locals. Fellow New Orleans native, rapper Lil Wayne, saxophonist Kenny G, Colombian singer Camilo and K-pop sensation NewJeans all take their moment at the mic. The album is an ambitious feat in sound and scope but brisk featureless tracks like the synth-laden and soulful ‘Calling Your Name’ or the rare stripped-back piano ballad ‘Butterfly’ make the jaunt fly by.
The journey ends with ‘Life Lesson’, as Batiste advises “Don’t second guess yourself” over crisp piano keys, right before frequent collaborator Lana Del Rey‘s vocals add a warm layer and a degree of gravitas to the song as she muses, “You’re happy until you’re not/ You’re icy until hot”, their words coming as the strings crawl upward before falling away placing the duo’s vocals on full display. The track is a sprawling and heartbreaking retelling of the predestined demise of a relationship with key arrangements that go rogue before the lyrics land on a final “Amen”.
In Batiste’s own words, “World culture and popular culture have become synonymous with each other”. ‘World Music Radio’ is the sonic manifestation of that belief, an expansive ode to human ingenuity and the boundless ability of music to foster connection.
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Grandeur sits at the heart of ‘This Music May Contain Hope’, RAYE’s second album, and the result feels nothing short of breathtaking. On this record, the singer born Rachel Keen explores a wide spectrum of sounds across its 73 minute length, moving from emotional ballads to lively funk moments and the jazz pop style she has become closely associated with. It can feel overwhelming at first, yet the magic that comes from RAYE fully committing to her vision makes the experience rewarding from start to finish.
‘This Music May Contain Hope’, a conceptual project about pushing through insecurity and heartbreak, unfolds like a lavish stage production. RAYE takes on the dual role of main character and guiding voice throughout the story. “Allow me to set the scene. Our story begins at 2:27am on a rainy night in Paris. Cue the thunder,” she says during the opening track ‘Girl Under The Grey Cloud’, which arrives with sweeping orchestral strings. Spoken passages appear across the album, helping shape the narrative and giving the project a sense of direction, almost like hearing the official recording of a Broadway show.
With this framework in place, the South London artist allows herself to fully explore the album’s diverse musical palette, and most of the time it works in her favor. Sometimes she fully embraces the theatrical side of the concept, especially during the closing section of the smooth R&B track ‘The WhatsApp Shakespeare’. Other moments are delivered more straightforwardly, such as the emotional slow building ballad ‘I Know You’re Hurting’. She also revisits her earlier dance influences with the impressive house track ‘Life Boat’.
Across the entire album, two things stand out clearly. RAYE’s flexible vocals sound better than ever, and her songwriting feels sharper than it has before. Take the playful highlight ‘I Hate The Way I Look Today’, a swing jazz inspired track reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald, where she admits “I’m okay to be lonely / If I’m lonely and skinny / I have such silly self-loathing thoughts, it seems”. Then there is the emotional storytelling in ‘Nightingale Lane’: “It was right there, early June / Next to Old Park Avenue / Standing in the rain, I watched him walk away”.
Despite all the vulnerability and emotional struggles explored throughout the record, RAYE ultimately reaches a place of optimism, staying true to the album’s title. She gathers her close friends on ‘Click Clack Symphony’ with support from Hans Zimmer, finds closure with guidance from Al Green on the smooth seventies soul inspired ‘Goodbye Henry’, and reaches toward something greater alongside her sisters Amma and Absolutely on the uplifting ‘Joy’ as she searches to be “free of all the pain and every fear”. After the stormy opening imagery of that “rainy night” and “thunder”, RAYE eventually realizes that “the sun exists behind the clouds”, as she shares on ‘Happier Times Ahead’.
‘This Music May Contain Hope’ shows RAYE performing at her absolute peak. The album feels huge in scale and emotionally powerful, yet it remains rooted in honest experiences and real feelings. Yes, it asks a lot from the listener, but that is also what makes it so special. Every dramatic moment and musical shift feels like RAYE claiming her independence and finally creating music entirely on her own terms.
