The seventh studio album from the British singer/songwriter, released after five years of retirement, during which
Matt Hales (aka
Aqualung) focused solely on his career as a producer,
10 Futures looks to the past on its opening salvo, the evocative, loop-driven "Tape to Tape." Built around the clicks and spins of a rewinding cassette tape -- analog sounds play a large role in
10 Futures, and the ambient city soundscapes and chirping birds feel as much a part of the songs as the melodies do -- and featuring the soulful falsetto of guest vocalist
Joel Compass, it's a fitting re-introduction for an artist who spent time away from the front of the house behind the mixing board, and it's also the most playful song on the album. The slow-burn follow-up, "Eggshells," is more indicative of the LP as a whole, pairing deep, trip-hop-kissed beats with emotionally charged vocals; in this case it's a deeply Auto-Tuned
Hales locking horns with English soul singer
Lianne La Havas. "Be Beautiful Feat.
Luke Sital-Singh," "Hearts (Spinwheeloscillate) Feat.
Prides," and the worldbeat-blasted,
Josef Salvat-assisted "Shame on Me" flirt with
Coldplay-infused Brit-pop, but much of
10 Futures sounds like the work of the man responsible for penning 2002's "Strange & Beautiful." Excessive
James Blake-approved balladry aside,
Hales' acumen for production is on full display here, as
10 Futures is a marvel of meticulous engineering, and while the material doesn't always live up to the sonic grandstanding, it never suffers because of it. ~ James Christopher Monger