翻譯：NickyLovesBaileys(網(wǎng)易云）

The 23-year-old Chicago singer’s long-awaited debut makes a close study of R&B history, floating through weightless vocal arrangements with uncommon poise

這位23歲來自芝加哥的歌手令人期待已久的處女作仿佛是一本R&B歷史的教科書，以不尋常的姿態(tài)漂浮在充滿失重感的聲樂編曲中。

When?Ravyn Lenae?emerged on Chicago’s R&B scene in 2015, she was a sensory architect. Her vocals were eclectic: a unique neo-soul style that channeled?Erykah Badu’s nasal coolness and a falsetto that carried whispers of?FKA twigs. Between 2015 and 2017, Lenae released two EPs, exploring a mode of alternative R&B that incorporated elements of dream pop, bounce, and soul. Between opening tours for?Noname?and?SZA, Lenae seemingly found her groove on 2018’s?Steve Lacy-produced EP?Crush, a collection of daring electro-funk bedroom bangers. She seemed unstoppable, releasing so much in a short time period that it was exhilarating to see what she had lined up next. Aside from a few teases, however, Lenae went radio silent for the Better part of four years.

2015年，當(dāng)Ravyn初次出現(xiàn)在芝加哥的R&B圈視野中時，她是一位“感官建造師”，她的聲音讓人驚喜：她充滿獨特新靈魂風(fēng)格的鼻音讓人想到Erykah Badu，耳語般的假聲讓人想到FKA Twigs。2015-2017年間，Lenae發(fā)行了兩張EP，探索了一種融合Dream-pop 、bounce 和靈魂元素的另類R&B模式。在為Noname 和Sza巡演開場的同時，她在18年Steve Lacy制作的EP“Crush”中找到了自己的最佳狀態(tài)，這是一張充滿大膽的電子放克臥室曲目的專輯。她似乎勢不可擋，在很短的時間內(nèi)釋放出如此多的東西，以至于讓人對她即將釋出的作品充滿期待。除了偶爾發(fā)一些預(yù)告，她在接下來的四年里沒有任何新動作。

Her debut full-length,?HYPNOS,?arrives as a mature reintroduction, a love-stained, moody transport that flies through Lenae’s world with a featherlight cadence. Lenae surveys the recent history of soul, alternative R&B, and even Afrobeats with precision. But most importantly, her debut showcases her ascendant vocal prowess as she moves across her wide range with ease. Lenae’s transcendental poise establishes her as a resonant voice in R&B.

她的個人首張專輯《HYPNOS》讓大家重新認(rèn)識了她，充滿愛意、情緒化的作品以輕快的節(jié)奏帶你飛過Lenae的世界。Lenae 精準(zhǔn)地研習(xí)了靈魂樂、另類 R&B 甚至 Afrobeats 的近期歷史。最重要的是，她的處女作展示了她高超的聲樂實力，因為她可以輕松地在寬闊的音域中游走。Lenae 超凡脫俗的泰然自若使她成為 R&B界?中的響亮新聲。

The immediate appeal of?HYPNOS?is just how tantalizing Lenae’s arrangements are amid familiar soundscapes. On previous songs like “Sticky” or “Free Room,” Lenae tapped into her higher register, but here Lenae’s soprano has become a gravitational force. On the?Kaytranada-produced “Xtasy,” Lenae’s sultry and blithe singing washes over the beat like water beading off a car. “Lullabye,” a kiss-off to a former lover, moves through melismatic harmonies like clockwork. “I hope she keeps you warm at night/This is our lullabye,” she croons, but you know she’s going to be OK just by her composure.

HYPNOS 的直接吸引力在于 Lenae 的聲音編排在為大眾所熟悉的曲風(fēng)中是多么誘人。在先前的歌曲如“Sticky”或“Free Room”中，Lenae 進入了她的高音區(qū)，她的高音變成了一股無法抗拒的引力。在 Kaytranada 制作的“Xtasy”中，Lenae 悶熱而輕快的歌聲像擋風(fēng)玻璃上震動的水滴一樣令人著迷?！癓ullabye”是對舊情人的吻別，她的人聲在如發(fā)條一樣的旋律與和聲中徜徉?！癐 hope she keeps you warm at night/this is our lullabye”她輕吟道，但你可以從她堅定的聲音中得知，she's gotta be ok。

For someone already lauded for her singing,?Lenae’s vocal technique on?HYPNOS?is the work of a perfectionist. Her sound has blossomed into a potpourri of the R&B female icons of the last three decades, but especially of the ’90s and early ’00s. The most obvious comparison here is?Aaliyah, but Lenae’s vocal composition honors many on?HYPNOS,?pulling from?Brandy’s “vocal bible” riffs and?Solange’s visionary harmonies,?Kelela’s outré artistry, and?Destiny’s Child’s lullabying melodies. “Venom,” a seething funkadelic synth-led track, feels caught Between something off?OutKast’s?Stankonia?and Brandy’s “What About Us?”. “Why do you play me for a fool?” Lenae asks, before descending into harmonies that unravel like those on Solange’s “Rise.” On “Cameo,” Lenae brings back Lacy and frequent collaborator Luke Titus for a funky opener that recalls the synth bass sound of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon.” The influences are never distracting so much as they are twinkling, fun, and carefully blended.

對于已經(jīng)開始為她的歌聲稱贊的聽眾來說，Lenae 在 HYPNOS 中呈現(xiàn)的聲樂技巧是完美主義者的杰作。她的聲音已經(jīng)發(fā)展成為過去 30 年間，尤其是 90 年代和 00 年代早期 R&B 女歌手融合在一起的新化身。這里最明顯的比較是 Aaliyah，但 Lenae 的vocal在 HYPNOS 中致敬了許多前輩，你可以聽到如 Brandy 的“聲樂圣經(jīng)”般的riff 和 Solange 富有遠(yuǎn)見的和聲、Kelela 的超凡藝術(shù)性和 Destiny's Child 的舒適和音。“Venom”是一首由合成器主導(dǎo)的熱辣 funkadelic 曲目，你能聽到一些 OutKast - Stankonia中 和 Brandy -“What About Us？”中的影子?！澳銥槭裁窗盐耶?dāng)傻子？” Lenae 唱道，然后進入和聲，讓人不禁想到 Solange 的“Rise”。在“Cameo”中，Lenae 與 Lacy 和長期合作者 Luke Titus 一起做了一首funky的開場白，讓人想起 Herbie Hancock 的“Chameleon”的合成貝司聲。這些來自其他藝術(shù)家影響永遠(yuǎn)不會讓人分心，因為它們充滿著精彩、趣味性的精心混合。

Sounding like someone else is by no means the limit to Lenae’s creative yield; she is as self-assured as she is exploratory. Rather than replicating a nostalgia that’s become?commonplace, she has earnestly studied these forebears and applied their techniques to her own brand of soft and intense music. “Light Me Up,” the album’s sexy, slow-burning centerpiece, creates a moodboard of R&B references, and digs deep into the excitement of sexual exploration: “Come inside/Show me you’re the leader/Switchin’ sides/Make me a believer,” she begs. Lenae’s weightless falsetto and stimulated writing make it a female contemporary to?D’Angelo’s “Untitled (How Does It Feel).”

“聽起來像其他人”絕不是對 Lenae 創(chuàng)造力的限制。她既自信又善于探索。她沒有無腦復(fù)制近年來大家都在做的懷舊感，而是認(rèn)真研究了這些前輩，并將他們的技巧提取到她自己柔和而強烈的作品中?！癓ight Me Up”，專輯中性感、緩慢燃燒的核心曲目，創(chuàng)造了一個 R&B 采樣的情緒板，她深入挖掘了 性探索給人帶來的興奮感：““Come inside/Show me you’re the leader/Switchin’ sides/Make me a believer,” ?”她懇求著。Lenae 輕盈的假聲和血脈賁張的寫作使這首作品成為 D'Angelo - “Untitled (How Does It Feel) .”的女性視角版。

The way Lenae seems to examine and deliberate her decisions in real time makes her?a magnetic narrator. On “M.I.A.,” she takes stock of her life and goes full escapist mode in ways that commit to her shapeshifting tendencies. Taking notes from the Afrobeats artist?Amaarae, the song is slick and coolheaded, cheekily rhyming about the freedom to sneak away at a moment’s notice. On “3D,” Lenae reunites with Zero Fatigue’s?Monte Booker?and?Smino?for a wobbly groove that puts?Lenae in the driver’s seat of a relationship moving too fast. “I’m asking you to keep it light/Things are Better movin’ slow,” she cautions, raising her pitch with each word of warning. In her earlier work with Booker and Smino, Lenae sounded like a gorgeous vocalist, but as?HYPNOS?emphasizes, she can be all of those things and the star of her own story.

Lenae 在實時審度影響她決定的方式使她成為一個充滿吸引力的故事敘述者。在“M.I.A.”中，她從生活中汲取靈感，并以完全符合她變化方向的方式進入了逃避現(xiàn)實的模式。Afrobeats 歌手Amaarae 說，這首歌流暢而冷靜，充滿押韻又隨時可以偷偷溜走的小自由。在“3D”中，Lenae 與 Zero Fatigue 樂隊的 Monte Booker 和 Smino 重聚首，這首歌有著讓心情不自禁的開始晃動身體的節(jié)奏，讓 Lenae 在一段發(fā)展得太快的關(guān)系中處于主導(dǎo)地位?！癐’m asking?you to keep it light/Things are Better movin’ slow，”她警惕道，每聲警告她都在提高她的音調(diào)。在與 Booker 和 Smino 的早期合作中，Lenae 聽起來像是一位華麗的歌手，但正如 HYPNOS中 所強調(diào)的，她可以成為所有的一切和她自己故事的主人公。

While the majority of?HYPNOS’?themes are commonplace to early twentysomething experience—heartbreak, growing apart, trifling men, finding your footing—Lenae makes them feel easily digestible and less existential. On “Skin Tight,” she ponders the kinetic energy of a past relationship with grace and respect beyond her years. The scornful acoustic number “Mercury,” with “Deep End” singer?Fousheé, initially comes off as a minor song on the album. But Lenae’s airy, level-minded approach is captivating—making this a bold and bittersweet highlight. Even as she whispers “I fucking hate you/Don’t ever speak my name” it never sounds all that painful, more like pity in the face of disgust.

雖然 HYPNOS 中的大多數(shù)主題對于 20 多歲的年輕人來說都是司空見慣的經(jīng)歷——心碎，漸行漸遠(yuǎn)，無足輕重的男人，獨立自主——Lenae讓聽眾覺得這一切都是容易消化的，并不是長久留存的。在“Skin Tight”中，她以超越她年齡的優(yōu)雅和莊重的去思考過去關(guān)系之間的能量。與“Deep End”的歌手 Fousheé 合作的充滿輕蔑味道的弦樂曲“Mercury”，最初只是專輯中的一首普通曲目。但Lenae 通透、頭腦清醒的制作令人著迷——使這首歌成為一首大膽而苦樂參半的亮點。即便她低聲唱道：“我他媽的討厭你/永遠(yuǎn)不要叫我的名字”，聽起來也沒有那么痛苦，更像是面對厭惡時的一絲憐憫之情。

Even when heartache leaves her distraught, Lenae is laser-focused on reaching for spiritual affirmation and aggrandizement. The album ends on the feather touch of heartfelt closer “Wish,” which brings together Lenae’s dizzying expression and limitless execution as a vocalist. “Every night you close your eyes, make a little wish,” Lenae sings, tip-toeing down the words. It could lift you out of the deepest hole. Even as she touches on trends and familiar themes, it’s Lenae’s delivery, confidence, and alluring presence that makes?HYPNOS?stand apart. As she considers her anxieties, hopes, and doubts, she reveres the musical icons before her in ways that show just how ready she is for her own turn.

即使心痛讓她心煩意亂，Lenae 仍專注于追求一種精神上的肯定和強化。這張專輯以發(fā)自肺腑的“Wish”羽毛般的聽感結(jié)束，它將Lenae令人眼花繚亂的表達(dá)和作為歌手的無限執(zhí)行力結(jié)合在一起。“每天晚上，你閉上眼睛，許個小愿望，”Lenae 唱道，小心翼翼的哼出歌詞。這首歌可以把你從深淵里拉出來。即使當(dāng)她談到了流行趨勢和熟悉的主題時，也正是Lenae的從容表達(dá)、自信和迷人的存在讓 HYPNOS這張專輯 脫穎而出。當(dāng)她將一切的不安、希望和疑惑放入作品中，敬重的汲取了早期音樂前輩的經(jīng)驗，她已經(jīng)為自己的出發(fā)做好了準(zhǔn)備。