ALBUM REVIEWS: Samm Henshaw & Amber Mark Steal The Show With Long-Awaited Debuts, While MØ Falls Flat (Jan 28, 2022)
As the first month of new releases of 2022 comes to a close, there are still a few solid albums that are worth getting excited about. From London’s Samm Henshaw to Danish pop superstar MØ, this week’s review has its ups and downs.
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Samm Henshaw – Untidy Soul
South London’s Samm Henshaw put out his debut album Untidy Soul this weekend, but as someone who’s been listening to his music for a few years now, it feels weird to say that. A full-figured 16-track effort (which includes four spoken interludes), Untidy Soul is a gospel-inspired collection that is inviting, low-key, and refreshing.
Despite being from the UK scene, his music is rich with American soul, in line with contemporary artists such as Leon Bridges and Allen Stone. Tight drum rhythms, and glossy guitars, and of course, a spacious and robust vocal quality evoke elements of ‘70s era soul and psychedelic.
And while some of the songwriting does feel like it’s been done before, there is still a certain quality to Samm’s voice and songwriting that feels down to earth and highly relatable. His micro-narratives packed into each song explores topics like finding happiness in the little things, feeling stuck in the world, and the uncertainty of your late twenties.
I will never not be in love with Samm’s voice, and the overall listening experience of Untidy Soul is a pleasant and refreshing one.
7/10
MØ – Motordrome
Danish pop superstar MO is back with her third album, Motordrome, which also happens to be her least-compelling release to date. While she made a heck of a statement on her debut album No Mythologies To Follow back in 2014 and 2018’s follow-up Forever Neverland, this third album is less than enticing.
Before we get into the things that didn’t really work on this album, I would like to start with the positives. Mostly her strengths as a vocalist, having made a career from her crisp, yet sugar vocal style. Those have not gone anywhere on this record. As well, as a major label release, her team has also done a great job with the production. There’s plenty of bouncy, punchy electro-pop elements.
But at the end of the day, a great voice and a strong production value can only get you so far.
Motordrome hits its plateau almost immediately. What you hear on opener and previously released single “Kindness” is essentially what you get for the rest of the album: mid-tempo, generic pop that makes the listener wait for the chorus. Lyrically, there isn’t much to feel inspired by – a lot of it is your standard topics of feeling disconnected and overwhelmed with the world and relationships, except its trimmed down and simplified for the average pop music fan.
Frankly, all of the tracks blend together for a forgettable and uninspiring pop effort.
4/10
Ghostly Kisses – Heaven, Wait
Top points this week for most aptly named artist goes to Ghostly Kisses, the musical project of French-Canadian singer-songwriter Margaux Sauvé. And that’s considering two of the artists go by their real names.
Her music is haunting, yet welcoming, courtesy of her delicate and cool vocal style – like a kiss of a ghost.
On her debut full-length Heaven, Wait, the musician blends ambient, orchestral arrangements with shimmering electro-pop influences from the likes of London Grammar and Royksopp. It’s a style that suits her voice perfectly, as she wraps in themes of love, loss, grief, and growth with melancholic elegance in the lyrics.
Adding to the record’s intimacy and magic, Sauvé produced the record with her partner / pianist Louis-Etienne Santais from their home. A Canadian musical power couple if you ask me. The cinematic strengths of chamber-pop are at the foundation of Heaven, Wait, with an old piano, and lush, dense synthesizers and vocal effects playing the role of swelling string sections.
The 10 track effort is the perfect length, not overdoing it with the dramatics and slow, ambient melancholy. Ghostly Kisses manages to find a few stand-out moments of spine-tingling intensity, while the remainder of the album is best enjoyed as an pseudo-ambient experience.
6.5/10
Amber Mark – Three Dimensions Deep
Another debut album has blessed the review round-up, this time coming from New York-based neo-R&B artist Amber Mark. Making a statement with her towering 17 track effort, Three Dimensions Deep is a compelling collection that has been long-awaited.
As for the title, the album can be broken into three acts – opening with her acknowledging her insecurities and self-doubt, working through those introspections, and then coming out the other side stronger and with more self-worth. While the songs match the growth of her confidence levels lyrically, the energy and composition never hold back, making strong, sonic statements across the track list (half of which, she co-produced and engineered).
With her voice at the helm, Three Dimensions Deep dips R&B into different paint colours, coming out in a variety of shades and styles – pop, dancehall, funk, soul – all of which she masterfully shifts her vocals to match.
There’s a lot to unpack on the album with its hour-long run-time, but overall, Amber Mark does a fantastic job at balancing intimacy, self-expression, and playfulness. It’s an ambitious effort, but Mark flexes her stardom on the milestone release.
