I've given the James Blake record a few spins now since it came out and two things spring to mind. Firstly, there is an awful lot of vocoder on it. I can't really understand why, because he does have a good voice. You can see the influences still - Antony Hegarty at times, Nina Simone and Tracy Chapman at others, with the odd dash of Bon Iver.
But, and this is my second point, I'm sure I also detect a touch of Luther Vandross - which is very odd. If you don't believe me, listen again to these two records below. The way Blake intones "my love" in the first minute or so of The Wilhelm Scream is prime Vandross. Follow it up by listening to "Endless Love" and watch out for the way Vandross enunciates "my endless love" at the very end of that slushy dirge.
The thread is lost after a while in the Wilhelm track as the electronics wash out the mix, but I'm sure I can hear Luther in there.
Have a listen:
here for Blake's Wilhelm Scream
and
here for the Luther vibes
The big question for me now is: does this mean Luther Vandross is underground?
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