RAYE’s sophomore record “THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.” is the kind of body of work that makes genre labels feel inadequate. Jazz, R&B, classical, pop, rap, orchestral swell. It moves through all of it with a confidence that never feels scattered. It just feels like RAYE, and at this point that’s a genre unto itself.
Her debut, “My 21st Century Blues,” introduced the world to what she was capable of. This album takes everything from that foundation and builds something considerably larger on top of it. The scale here is both cinematic and incredibly ambitious. There are moments on this record that belong on a stage with a full symphony behind them, and not coincidentally, RAYE has been performing it in arenas all winter.
The album unfolds in four seasons, and the sequencing matters. The front half leans into the orchestral and epic, opening with the sweeping “I Will Overcome” before moving through “Winter Woman,” which samples Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons, Winter,” appropriately, and “Click Clack Symphony.,” a collaboration with Hans Zimmer that immediately fits as one of the album’s centerpieces. Zimmer’s fingerprints are all over it, but RAYE holds her own in the room, which is no small thing. Strings surface throughout even on the album’s jazzier moments, adding texture and weight to tracks that might otherwise sit comfortably in a smaller sonic space.
“Beware… The South London Lover Boy” arrives early and hits differently from everything around it. Bombastic, upbeat, built for dancing, it shares more DNA with “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” than with the moodier, more introspective tracks that define much of the album. It’s a reminder that RAYE can be both grand and playful, sometimes within the same breath.
“Life Boat” is a standout and perhaps the album’s clearest thesis statement. True to the record’s title, it’s an anthem for perseverance, building steadily until “I’m not giving up yet” repeats through the back half in layers of different voices, stacking on top of each other until the song reaches a genuinely stirring conclusion.
The viral “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!,” with over 644 million streams on Spotify alone, is buried surprisingly deep in the tracklist, which turns out to be the right call. By the time it arrives, the album has already established enough emotional weight that the song lands as a release rather than just a hit single dropped into the middle of a record. It’s a confident sequencing decision, showing an artist who trusts the full body of work.
The back half of the album settles into its jazzier, more intimate register, and RAYE fills it with people who matter to her. “Goodbye Henry” opens with a voicemail from Al Green that transitions seamlessly into a full vocal feature, his voice wrapping around RAYE’s in a way that feels entirely natural. Pulling Al Green onto a sophomore album is a serious get, and the song earns it. Her grandfather, Grandad Michael, who she has long cited as a foundational influence on her songwriting, makes his own appearance, grounding the record in something personal beneath all the grandeur. RAYE’s sisters Amma and Absolutely join her on “Joy.,” turning the album’s final stretch into something resembling a family gathering. It gives the back half a warmth that balances the epic sweep of everything that came before it.
The album closes with “Fin.,” a six-minute track that plays out over award show orchestration as RAYE thanks the people who helped bring this record to life; collaborators, family, friends. It reads as someone who made exactly the album they set out to make and knows it. Not arrogance, just clarity. It’s a fittingly grand way to close something this ambitious. “THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.” is the rare album that earns its scope. RAYE isn’t reaching for grandiose; she’s operating there naturally, and the result is one of the more fully realized records you’ll hear this year.
Featured Photo Credit: Aliyah Otchere
Nathan Smith is a Providence-based music photographer and journalist focusing on capturing the special moments and unfiltered magic of live performances. Whether he’s shooting established artists at sold-out TD Garden shows or documenting the rise of emerging local bands, his goal is the same: to pull viewers directly into the heart of the moment.
His writing spotlights rising artists and local scenes, with a focus on telling the stories that often get overlooked. A lifelong music fan and musician himself, Nathan approaches interviews and portraits as conversations rather than transactions, building trust with artists so their genuine personalities can shine through. Whether he’s backstage, in the photo pit, or at home in front of the keyboard, he brings the same curiosity and care to every assignment.
Outside of his press work with Juice Box Press, Nathan works regularly as a photographer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as numerous bands in the Boston and Providence area. Nathan also plays violin with a local orchestra, follows Celtics basketball almost religiously, and is an avid fantasy reader.