Album Review: Rhye - Woman
- Written by Super User
Until recently, a veil of mystery has enshrouded the duo behind the minimalist soul and R&B yearnings of Rhye, but one listen leaves you in no doubt whatsoever as to the theme coursing through every minute of their debut album. Woman is a love letter, a late night lament, and expression of joy and regret, a lazy day in bed with the one you love.
Indeed, love oozes through each pore and sinew of each of the ten tracks which form this hazy miasma of intense emotional lust and desire; drenched in carnal sweat and dripping with sensuous intensity.
When ‘Open’ appeared on the internet at the end of last year, it was obvious this elusive pair were an act which demanded attention. It has since transpired that the brains behind this intoxicating mix of minimalistic soul and heady 90s R&B are Danish producer Robin Hannibal and Canadian electronic musician and vocalist Mike Milosh. After collaborating back in 2010 with Hannibal’s Copenhagen-based electronic group Qadron, they both met in their newly adopted home town of LA and Rhye was born.
Woman is a mix of deft musical arrangements and the haunting emotion of Milosh’s Sade-esque vocal delivery. His voice is subtle, yet rich; simultaneously warm and resonant whilst at the same time elusive and fragile. There is a soulfulness and delicacy behind each lyric; romance shimmers as his voice gently beckons in the moonlight hours. The music itself is a mix between the sublimely tender and rich velvet of ‘Open’ and the late night jazzy disco vibes of ‘Hunger’.
What makes Woman such a beautiful and powerful treatise on love, desire and loss is the decision by the duo to strip down their sound to something minimalistic and pure. They eschew extensive production and clutter, allowing the intricate arrangements and ethereal vocals to tenderly warm your heart and lull you into a peaceful happiness. The duo bring a varied musical background to the table, ‘Last Dance’ has a much funkier edge whilst ‘3 Days’, the highlight of the album, owes much to Hannibal’s classical training.
There is a magisterial elegance and enchanting allure etched into each song on Woman, taking you on an emotive journey through the highs and lows of love; at times feeling profoundly intimate, at others incredible sparse and limitless. They have painstakingly constructed an album which celebrates the dizzy highs of love, whilst periodically lamenting the lows. Amongst the abundance of 90s influenced R&B acts to emerge over the last year, you’ll find few better than Rhye.
and 