RAVYN LENAE - Blue Island

Bold, restless and alive. These are the three adjectives used by Ravyn Lenae to define "Blue Island". And indeed, the third album by the Chicago singer-songwriter sounds exactly like that, a triptych of moods poured without reservation into fourteen songs that move with ease and equal naturalness between nu-soul, vintage r'n'b and deconstructed sophisti-pop, as the mood takes her. Starting with the single that opens and kicks off proceedings, "Handle", which could practically pass for a Debbie Gibson or Tiffany track for fans of "Stranger Things", tamed according to the standards of sophisticated production, with a guitar riff shamelessly eighties, while the video, by contrast, is pure nineties, capturing Madonna-esque choreography and dominatrix-like poses.

Released on May 13, "Handle" follows the previously released singles by the American musician, "Bobby" and "Reputation": the first is a dreamy ballad whose melodic line still rests on a distorted little guitar, this time in the style of Ernest Green, while the second, featuring Dominic Fike, lowers the tone thanks to a circular synth that tiptoes in, supporting the acoustic guitar and making the track decidedly enjoyable both in the long run and on first listen. It's almost as if you're hearing an Arcade Fire (!) melody reworked by a couple of American nerds.

Ravyn knows what she's doing. And the wait for this, her third album, is rewarded with a compelling collection of songs, capable of delivering unpredictable moments while still remaining tied to a sonic imagination that's forty years old, yet consistently updated to the present day with sharp wit and a chameleon-like knack for disguising shades and rhythms: now unstable and sensual ("In & Out"), now magnetic and pulsing, with a thoroughly battered bassline out front ("Sew Me Back Together"), evoking mostly carefree impulses.
The presence behind the mixing desk of award-winning producers such as Dahi & Ely Rise lends the whole thing further pop volatility, amplifying the urges of a musician often in a state of grace, notwithstanding an occasionally extreme revivalism, with songs that sound as if they've come straight out of an 80s jukebox (here we go again!), see "Saturday Night" and "Barriers".

There's no shortage of distinctly nu-soul moments either, almost Solange-like, so to speak, such as "Babygirl", a duet with Doechii. And then there's "Wish You Well", which immediately brings to mind the glossier, unjustly forgotten Judie Tzuke of "The Cat Is Out". Flanafi also steps in to handle things on this occasion, while there are no fewer than six co-writers on the track alongside Lenae, confirming a meticulous team effort. A touch of healthy confusion only surfaces at the very end, amid the rhythmic textures of "Let Us In", a track that shuffles the deck one last time.

"Blue Island" is an album that crowns Ravyn Lenae as an appealingly elusive star of the current decade's American pop/r&b scene. A singer-songwriter whose potential has, until now, been very well managed, with the exception of her timid and unconvincing debut. And given the current trajectory, she deserves even more success.

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23/08/2026