The Colour in Anything

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The Colour in Anything
File:The colour in anything blake.jpg
Studio album by James Blake
Released 6 May 2016 (2016-05-06)
Recorded 2014–16
Studio London, UK
Shangri La Studios, Malibu, CA
Genre
Length 76:13
Label Polydor
Producer James Blake, Rick Rubin, Justin Vernon
James Blake chronology
200 Press
(EP)
(2014)200 Press2014		 The Colour in Anything
(2016)
Singles from The Colour in Anything
  1. "Modern Soul"
    Released: 11 February 2016[3]
  2. "Timeless"
    Released: 14 April 2016[4]
  3. "Radio Silence"
    Released: 5 May 2016[5]
  4. "My Willing Heart"
    Released: 5 May 2016[6]
  5. "I Need a Forest Fire"
    Released: 5 May 2016[7]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 77/100[8]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 3.5/5 stars[9]
Entertainment Weekly A–[10]
Exclaim! 9/10[11]
The Guardian 4/5 stars[12]
The New York Times (mixed)[13]
The Observer 4/5 stars[14]
Pitchfork 8.2/10[15]
PopMatters 5/10[17]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars[16]
Spin 7/10[18]

The Colour in Anything is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter and producer James Blake, released on 6 May 2016 by Polydor Records. It serves as the follow-up to his Mercury Prize-winning 2013 album Overgrown. It features contributions from Justin Vernon and Frank Ocean, and additional production work by Rick Rubin.

Background and recording

In November 2014, Blake announced that his third album was "seventy percent done" and would be released in "about five months."[19] In January 2015, he announced the album title Radio Silence.[20] He later stated that the album would feature Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver) and Kanye West, as well as guitar work from Connan Mockasin.[21] In a May 2016 interview with BBC Radio 1, Blake stated that he began work on the album in his bedroom studio in South London, and after "running out of steam" went to America to complete the recording at Shangri La Studios with producer Rick Rubin.[22]

Recording involved writing contributions from Justin Vernon and singer Frank Ocean, the latter described by Blake as "a huge inspiration for this record."[23] Regarding Kanye West's absence from the project, Blake clarified that "I wanted Kanye to be on the song "Timeless," but the verse didn’t materialize. I think a huge swath of things happened in his life, and I just stayed out of it."[23] During this period, Blake also worked with singer Beyoncé on her 2016 album Lemonade, contributing to two tracks.[23]

Blake reportedly "explored sitting at the piano and singing a lot more" during the album's conception, and developed a desire "to work with other people on my own projects" in an attempt to relinquish some control over his own work.[23] Discussing the tone of the album in contrast to his previous work, he stated that "I realized that [when it comes to making music], it wasn't important whether I was happy or sad—it's about sensitivity and your reaction to the world. I wouldn't want to be one of those artists that keeps themselves in a perpetual cycle of anxiety and depression just to extract music from that."[23]

Promotion and release

On February 11, 2016, Blake premiered a new song entitled "Modern Soul" during his BBC Radio 1 residency.[24] On April 14, 2016, he premiered a new song titled "Timeless," and announced the completion of an album featuring 18 tracks.[25]

On April 28, social media posts by Blake and his label, 1-800 Dinosaur, reposted photos of a mural by children's novel illustrator Sir Quentin Blake (best known for his work with writer Roald Dahl) that hinted at the new album title The Colour in Anything;[26] these were confirmed as the new title and artwork of his album several days later.[27] The murals were displayed in London and Brooklyn. On May 5, Blake unexpectedly announced that the album would be released at midnight.[22]

Upon its release, the album received general acclaim from contemporary critics.

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Radio Silence"   James Blake 4:00
2. "Points"   Blake 3:31
3. "Love Me in Whatever Way"   Blake 5:03
4. "Timeless"   Blake 4:22
5. "f.o.r.e.v.e.r."   Blake 2:40
6. "Put That Away and Talk to Me"   Blake 3:57
7. "I Hope My Life (1-800 Mix)"   Blake 5:40
8. "Waves Know Shores"   Blake 2:55
9. "My Willing Heart"   Blake, Frank Ocean 4:02
10. "Choose Me"   Blake 5:38
11. "I Need a Forest Fire" (featuring Bon Iver) Blake, Justin Vernon 4:17
12. "Noise Above Our Heads"   Blake 5:03
13. "The Colour in Anything"   Blake 3:33
14. "Two Men Down"   Blake 6:01
15. "Modern Soul"   Blake 5:32
16. "Always"   Blake, Ocean 5:04
17. "Meet You in the Maze"   Blake, Vernon 4:55
Total length:
 76:13

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] 16
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[29]
[30]		 68
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[31] 23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[32] 88
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[33] 31
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[34] 21
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[35] 20
French Albums (SNEP)[36] 127
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[37] 76
Irish Albums (IRMA)[38] 16
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[39] 26
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[40] 23
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[41] 35
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[42] 47
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] 19
UK Albums (OCC)[44] 13
US Billboard 200[45] 36

References

  1. ↑ http://www.altwire.net/2016/05/09/james-blake-the-colour-in-anything-album-review/
  2. ↑ http://www.sputnik.com/review/70655/James-Blake-The-Colour-in-Anything/
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ https://play.spotify.com/album/1l1HtS1J4bUrXLDu5DopsL
  6. ↑ https://play.spotify.com/album/3lNTOqOADRbgHwy3fqnDGM
  7. ↑ https://play.spotify.com/album/07hmu28zzgXybHfpQeb0iY
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ James Blake Says Kanye West and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon Will Appear on His New Album
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Bowe, Miles. James Blake Hints at New Album Title and Artwork. Fact. 28 April 2016.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  29. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – James Blake – The Colour in Anything" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  30. ↑ http://oe3.orf.at/m/charts/stories/2602614/
  31. ↑ "Ultratop.be – James Blake – The Colour in Anything" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  32. ↑ "Ultratop.be – James Blake – The Colour in Anything" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  33. ↑ "Template:BillboardEncode/J/chart?f=309 James Blake – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for James Blake. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  34. ↑ http://hitlisten.nu/default.asp?list=a40
  35. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – James Blake – The Colour in Anything" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  36. ↑ "Lescharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  37. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – James Blake – The Colour im Anything" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  38. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 19, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  39. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  40. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  41. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  42. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  43. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  44. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  45. ↑ Template:BillboardEncode/J/chart?f=305 "James Blake – Chart history" Billboard 200 for James Blake. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
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