The Colour in Anything | ||||
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Studio album by James Blake | ||||
Released | 6 May 2016 | |||
Recorded | 2014–16 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 76:13 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Producer |
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James Blake chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Colour in Anything | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 78/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Entertainment Weekly | A– |
Exclaim! | 9/10 |
The Guardian | |
The New York Times | (mixed) |
The Observer | |
Pitchfork | 8.2/10 |
PopMatters | 5/10 |
Rolling Stone | |
Spin | 7/10 |
The Colour in Anything is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter and producer James Blake, released on 6 May 2016 by Polydor Records. It serves as the follow-up to his Mercury Prize-winning 2013 album Overgrown. It features contributions from Justin Vernon and Frank Ocean, and additional production work by Rick Rubin.
In November 2014, Blake announced that his third album was "seventy percent done" and would be released in "about five months." In January 2015, he announced the album title Radio Silence. He later stated that the album would feature Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver) and Kanye West, as well as guitar work from Connan Mockasin. In a May 2016 interview with BBC Radio 1, Blake stated that he began work on the album in his bedroom studio in South London, and after "running out of steam" went to United States to complete the recording at Shangri La Studios with producer Rick Rubin.
Recording involved writing contributions from Justin Vernon and singer Frank Ocean, the latter described by Blake as "a huge inspiration for this record." Regarding Kanye West's absence from the project, Blake clarified that "I wanted Kanye to be on the song "Timeless," but the verse didn’t materialize. I think a huge swath of things happened in his life, and I just stayed out of it." During this period, Blake also worked with singer Beyoncé on her 2016 album Lemonade, contributing to two tracks.