SIPHO. - PRAYERS & PARANOIA

With a voice like SIPHO.’s one imagines it’d be all too tempting to stuff a debut album full of big-hitters: crank the power, range and emotions up to eleven twelve times over and call it a day. And indeed, the moments during ‘PRAYERS & PARANOIA’ where maximalism meets a cloying crescendo are in fact the record’s least interesting: the Motown rhythm section of ‘LOCK IT IN’ and the piano-led ‘FILL ME UP’ are almost too obvious and lack as a consequence. Instead, where SIPHO. shines brightest is when he’s keeping a little for himself. Take opener ‘ELEVATION’, which contrasts his angelic tone with increasingly aggressive drums and looping backing vocals to claustrophobic ends. Or ‘GLUE’ as it crashes headfirst into hypnotic jungle beats. Those same rhythms are taken down a notch for the gorgeously rich ‘PRAYERS’, making for a trip hop-like number that sounds at once familiar, yet completely new. A solid introduction to a stellar voice - and often texturally fascinating artist.