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With a six-year album hiatus from singer, songwriter, and producer Devonté Hynes aka Blood Orange, he has returned to give us another taste of his creative sound and artistic songwriting with Essex Honey. Blood Orange made quite a name for himself just off of his first two albums under the name, and seems to just keep outdoing himself after each one, pushing his artistic potential even further with each new piece of work that he releases, and Essex Honey is no exception.
A Sound Like Honey
Before this album even arrived, my ears were primed and ready to hear just what other hypnotic soundscapes Blood Orange could cook up on this album. The full reason for this anticipation was the four singles that were released to promote the album: "Countryside (feat. Eva Tolkin, Liam Benzi & Ian Isiah)," "Mind Loaded (feat. Caroline Polachek, Lorde & Mustafa)," "Somewhere in Between" (my personal favorite from his singles), and "The Field (feat. The Durutti Column, Tariq Al-Sabir, Caroline Polachek & Daniel Caesar)." These singles pretty much completely sold me on the hype for this album, and I don’t think that Hynes could have chosen better singles to put out. "The Field" is an absolutely gorgeous song. With the melodic intro of the seagulls and waves, the summer feels coming from the guitar, and the reverb on all of the vocal performances just creates this beautiful sound that plays at your nostalgic heartstrings all the way through, and really, "The Field" holds within it a portion of what the album is about.
Essex is a county out in East London where Hynes grew up in, and this album’s theme, at least from my interpretation, is about Hynes’ childhood and his past experiences. Some of these are expressed in a dark and negative light, yet the album tells of how, despite that, he still keeps with him those experiences, and he never forgets them because they are ultimately a part of his life, and running away from them does nothing but prolong his fear of it.
Something I really appreciated about the sound of this album was the usage of classical instruments in almost each and every song. An artistic touch for sure, and its contribution to this piece of work can not be understated. The points at which it is used too are again purely artistic, as at the end of almost every song is a tiny classical piece of music that plays. This is usually with the violin or the cello, and it cuts away from the song itself and almost plays like a reflection of the themes of the album. This is so well done on Hynes' part, and that’s because the themes of the album are reflective themselves, so when we hear these pieces, we are hearing this reflection from him. Such a genuinely great touch. Also, the piano pieces on this album are wonderful. A huge reason why "Vivid Light" is my favorite song on the album is in part because of its toned-down and chill piano sound.
But overall, it feels almost like a sort of mastery of Blood Orange’s sound. A beautiful, reverbed, melodic, hypnotic, '80s pop almost sort of feel at times soundscape that just swirls all around you and makes you plunge right into it. My only criticism is the drums on "The Field," and the snares on "Thinking Clean" where it just doesn’t really click with the other sounds at all, and stands out in a way that makes me feel pestered by it at times, especially on "Thinking Clean" where the snare sounds like a speedy tempoed clicking noises that just keeps on going, but is then cut out fortunately by an awesome drum part at the end which I CANNOT get enough of. Also quick mention, I hope that Hynes never stops using the saxophone in his songs EVER. It’s a staple of his music, but jeez louise, it is just too good.
Intention With Every Line
Vocal performances are never really a highlight or focal point of an album for me, but oh boy, is there a funny case with this one. Every single vocal feature was absolutely stellar and paired with Hynes' vocal style near perfectly. LORDE AND DANIEL CAESAR ARE ON HERE AS WELL LIKE WHAT??? It’s easy to say that I adore the vocals on this album a lot. Hyne’s voice, as well, comes with a surprising amount of clarity, but I still don’t fully love Hynes' voice. I think the vocal effects that he uses make his voice sound genuinely ethereal, but I think his timing of the lyrics are a little off. The execution of his vocals at times just aren’t too pretty to me, but this is sort of made up for with the writing on this album. Oh my gosh the writing is mind-bending. The creativity of his words and metaphors to complete the theme of the album is beyond great. Some of my favorite lines on this album are from "Mindloaded:" “Dark weather, new order/New packet, light smoker/Help me on my way,” and from "Westerberg:" “When the tar floats down your stream/ And you squint to see the truth/ That there’s no longer your youth/ Got more things to do”. His ability to present these moments of vivid imagery that tie in with the overall themes of the album amazed me thoroughly.
My Rating Overall
Overall, this album was a complete spectacle. Through and through, it kept a fairly consistent level of quality, creativity, and beautiful soundscape that kept my ears glued to the headphones. Still, it does have its hiccups with the repetitive sound of the songs at the end of the album, and my slight distaste for Hynes' execution of singing his lyrics. With all of this being said, its beauty can not be understated in the slightest, and Blood Orange continues to be a shining star in the sky of music.
Sources: Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify
Image Source: Spotify
Contact Nathan Litz with comments at nathan.litz@bsu.edu
