Stormzy - This Is What I Mean

On ‘This Is What I Mean’, we find Stormzy patient, spiritual and raw in the aftermath of heartbreak. For a majority of its 12 tracks, his delivery is rich, melodic and considered - seldom do we get the fierce snarl that swept the likes of ‘Big For Your Boots’ or ‘Audacity’. It wouldn’t serve the songcraft here. Opener ‘Fire + Water’ runs to eight minutes and shifts several times among inflections of jazz flutes and flamenco guitar. “A fire from this perfect match to burn us to the ground,” he sings, setting the scene for his state of mind.