Rhye - "Blood"

Ok, so let me start off by saying that I really did miss the boat on Rhye when they first came out.  I felt like at the time I saw positive reviews of their debut album "Woman" seemingly everywhere.  But recently I finally got a chance to listen to it, and it ended up being love at first listen to me.  I loved the very catchy yet sophisticated Pop tunes, backed by hazy electronic atmospheres.  There were funk jams like "Hunger" that really mixed things up nicely, but it was mostly the callbacks to classic R&B that truly got me to really love this album.  There was such a huge "Quiet Storm" era R&B feel to this album that was to die for.  There were steamy, sexual atmospheres that came off so well, but it was never tasteless.  Hell, it ended up coming off like a Sade album, and it was GOOD.  Now, ever since the release of Rhye, there was, of course, some controversy over the departure of  Robin Hannibal and how Mike Milosh basically was the sole member left of Rhye.  And it's been a few years since we've heard from Rhye, but they already do seem a little worn out from these singles.  Let's chat.

    This album starts off with “Waste”, which is actually a sort of ominous intro, equipped with a very spacious beat and pounding drums.  But of course, the very angelic falsetto’s of Michael Milosh come in and smooth things out very quickly.  I love some of the harmonies here, and I do have to say that Michael’s voice certainly sounds stronger.  While I’m not getting nearly the same atmosphere from this as I did on the first album, I do have to comment Rhye on bringing in those strings which are a seriously nice touch.  I actually dig a whole lot of “Waste”, as far as Rhye’s more Sophisti-Pop sound goes, this is actually a really fantastic example of what the band can accomplish.  I wouldn’t say this is dripping with sweat or legitimately sexy like the material on “Woman”, but I can deal.  Instrumentally, I feel like “Blood” is a whole different project.  The first Rhye album was so delicate to the touch, but tracks like “Taste” on the other hand instantly do seem like they’re taking more risks.  This track is snappy, funky, and incredibly sexy.  And while it does have more of a delicate feel, that’s mostly because Michael’s vocals are so tender.  But the lack of that great, giant atmosphere is starting to bug me.  I feel like it’s not an issue just yet because these very classy instrumentals are doing “Taste” so much justice.  But I feel like it could very easily become an issue.  But for now, “Taste” is another very charming, sweet, Alternative R&B jam. “Feel Your Weight” though, continues with the risks I was talking about.  Here, Rhye breaks out of the cloudy sound for a more upfront Synth=Pop sound that actually comes off really cool.   With the very glitchy production here, I feel like this almost has a ChillWave feel to it, or at least comes off like something Washed Out would have done years ago.  I’m totally into Rhye bringing in more instrumentals if we’re going to continue to get tracks like this.  Also, let me just say, this is easily the sexiest track here yet, and it’s the one that’s the least dreamy, go figure.  Now, I do start to have issues around the point of “Please”.  While I feel like Rhye is taking a step in the right direction as far as a sound I want to hear from them goes, they don’t exactly sound sure of themselves.  Hell, they don’t sound like they’re completely into this one at all.  As a matter of fact, Rhye sort of sound like they’re desperately trying to get back to that sound they once hit so flawlessly.  I do like the smoky atmosphere and the very tender vocals.  But I just wish this performance was a little more charismatic.  Not to mention, while I think the instrumentals are incredibly sexy and come off great, I feel like the lack of that immense atmosphere is such a sucker punch. 

    On the other hand, the almost Funky riff on “Count To Five” almost reminds me of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and it’s a welcome change.  The bass licks are groovy, and Michael’s performance actually really transfers over very well to this sound.  I also seriously love the pacing on this one, which you can never really pinpoint completely, making this one genuinely exciting.  I still can’t shake the atmosphere of these tracks, however, that cinematic feel that hooked me instantly to “Woman”.  But, I do commend Rhye for these very classy instrumentals.  Now, instrumentally, once again I really love a whole lot of “Song for You”.  The lightly plucked guitars and the very patient drums are so dainty and interesting.  However, as far as Michael’s performance goes, I really only have one question.  What in the actual hell is this?  He literally sounds like he’s about to fall asleep in the studio.  I’m all up for a dreamy performance, but here he just sounds bored out of his mind.  And it’s a shame because the instrumentals that Rhye bring in continue to be incredibly classy and tasteful for this style.  And “Song for You” really doesn’t get any better as this one trudges on.  On the other hand, I love just how patient “Blood Knows” sounds.  Like, there is so much tension in these bars, which is something I feel like Rhye don’t capitalize on enough.  It’s certainly got an eerie tone to it as well and is one of the least “human” sounding tracks yet with mostly just synths and drums.  But outside of that, I really love Michael’s vert tortured sound on “Blood Knows”.  I would almost say there’s a The Weeknd’s “House Of Balloons” feel, which is something I’ll always love.  It’s a tough feeling to describe, almost like something terrible is about to happen.  And of course, the very twisted lyrics to “Blood Knows” don’t exactly help the amount of dread here.  I absolutely love this tune, it risks like this that I want to hear Rhye take in the future.  But Rhye takes that unbelievable atmosphere and throw it right out the window for a more goofy feel immediately with “Stay Safe”.  Once again, I get the feeling that Michael isn’t nearly as invested as he could be with this track.  And the light and fluffy atmosphere doesn’t exactly do anything for me either, especially after hearing just how dangerous Rhye can sound.  Even the very classy strings that pop in can’t save this from being a snooze-fest.  Did I mention “Stay Safe” is one of the longest tracks here?  Oh boy.  

    “Phoenix” once again has a lot of the same sort of playful sounds to it, but at least is sort of made cooler by some very funky licks.  To be honest, this seems to be the sound that’s working with Rhye most consistently.  There’s a sort of sleazy vibe to it that comes off well in these very steamy atmospheres, and I love just how hypnotic this one is especially that incredibly memorable chorus.  It’s moments like this that excite me, that Rhye can remain such outsiders in this genre yet still come out with such catchy and memorable material.  The funk is tasteful, the instrumentals are simple but work wonderfully, and it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.  Not to mention, some of those late guitar solos are a really nice touch.  But it’s tracks like “Softly” that has me second guessing this entire album.  Rhye has really lost that thick atmosphere they had on their first album.  And while some of the Funk on this album has been able to mask that, it’s these incredibly quiet moments that are so obviously flawed.  It’s just so bland and one-dimensional, and Michael once again sounds like her can care less about any of this track.  However, Rhye ends up pulling out “Sinfull” for their final performance here, and on the other hand, is a truly great sound for them.  These are some of the most pronounced and interesting instrumentals of this entire album.  Hell, it almost comes off like an instrumental that would have found it’s home on one of Justin Timberlake’s early Pop gems.  It’s mysterious, has the right amount of sexy, and most importantly has the atmosphere that I’ve been looking for this entire album.  In a really bizarre turn of events, if Rhye gave me an album sounding like “Sinful”, this could have been even more powerful than “Woman”.  The strings are massive, the atmosphere is cautious, and I just freakin’ love this tune.  More of THIS in the future, please. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Give A Listen To: “Waste”, “Sinful”, “Blood Knows”, “Phoenix”

Genre: Alternative R&B / Sophisti-Pop / SynthPop / Downtempo / Soul / Funk

Overall Thoughts: So let's get this out of the way, this isn't nearly the instantaneous "wow" of an album that "Woman" was.  The main issue that some people had with Rhye in the past, was the fact that they had a great sound but maybe didn't experiment enough.  That's where "Blood" comes in, which is at the end of the day, a much riskier album.  A lot of these risks pay off, from the very dark "Blood Knows" and "Sinful", as well as the haunting "Phoenix".  But with all the risks and new directions Rhye goes here, they let up a LOT of that great atmosphere that really drove me to love "Woman".  There are a handful of real standouts here, and overall this is a decent followup.  But in the future, I either want to hear Rhye bring in some of that great atmosphere or pick one sound and stick with it.