HSD Top 10 Albums 2017 - No. 1

Sampha – Process

The first time I came across Sampha was when he was lending his sublime vocals to the SBTRKT album. His voice had an unusual tone to it. Pained, deep, expressive. I wouldn’t call it beautiful but beauty is only skin deep. Sampha’s voice draws you in, wraps itself around you and doesn’t let go. It leaves its mark. It haunts you. I saw him sing with SBTRKT at KOKO several years ago. Aaron Jerome - the driving force behind SBTRKT - and Sampha, were both wearing tribal type masks, which was the SBTRKT thing and Jerome, liking his beats high in the mix, drowned out Sampha’s voice in the boom. Musically, Process lets Sampha’s voice breathe, yet there is always something interesting, subtly bubbling away in the background. Sampha’s lyrics are engaging and he is shown off to the best of his potential, no longer living off other peoples tracks – SBTRKT, Solange, to name two – but striding forward in his own right. The brooding intensity of Plastic 100°c leads onto the foreboding panic of Blood On Me – “Grey hoodies they cover their heads…”  sings Sampha, with paranoia, and the scene is set. Process was written following the death of Sampha’s mother from cancer. It is a heartfelt, intimate and emotional piece of work. (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano is a beautiful way to remember his mum. When you put yourself on the line in this way, with all the elements - vocals, lyrics and music, all coming together - you deserve to create something special. Sampha is no longer hiding behind a mask but doing it all in his own right.

Sampha - (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano