Review Summary: More than just a one-hit wonder
Ravyn Lenae had been quietly amassing a very solid R&B-pop discography for the past decade, until “Love Me Not” became a sleeper hit last year. It was surprising yet justified, given that song is lightning-in-a-bottle pop perfection. So begs the provocation – how do you follow up your star-making moment?
Blue Island sees Ravyn shrug off the expectations of that question by doing exactly what she’s already been doing – and doing it well.
Ravyn’s third full-length continues her gradual progression away from soul-influenced R&B, with most of its tracks being pure or alt-pop. This could be seen as a reactive decision to make an album of “Love Me Not”s, but those paying attention would’ve noticed this shift before she went viral. For me, it’s the right choice, given that the hooks on
Blue Island are a lot stickier than on
Hypnos, her more traditionally R&B debut. “In & Out” is instantly stuck in my head after the first listen, and the fantastic “Saturday Night” has just as much hit potential as her breakout chart-topper.
She also sounds more assured in this current sound, with her vocals more powerful than ever – she beautifully glides through her upper register on “Sew Me Back Together” and easily out-sings a middling Dominic Fike on “Reputation”, the album’s only misstep. With her now confidently killing it in her pop lane, I’d like to see Ravyn evolve her production with more inspired flourishes of electronica – think the final minute of “Potential” or the entirety of “Let Us In”, which sound like they could’ve been on Sudan Archives’ fantastic
The BPM from last year. She has the same potential to be a visionary in the genre.
Simultaneously, I could also see her further stepping into Remi Wolf’s niche of festival-filling, rock-tinged, singalong indie pop, with album highlights “Handle” and “Bobby” sounding at home amongst the best tracks from Remi’s
Big Ideas. I saw Ravyn at Primavera Sound earlier this year, and she easily commanded the huge main stage crowd, even as massive storm clouds swelled over the Barcelona beachside. Love her or not, it’s clear she is already a star.
