Neneh Cherry - Blank Project

It suits the predictable comeback narrative to say Blank Project is a long-awaited career renaissance from the woman who lit up the world, and the pop charts, with ‘Buffalo Stance’ in the hazy mists of 1988. That’s well wide of the mark.

Cherry has consistently been steadily and quietly tipping away on a host of collaborative projects in recent years. Since helping to finance the recording of Massive Attack’s Blue Lines, she’s always had an eye and an ear for the weird and the wonderful. Blank Project sees her team-up with erstwhile Thom Yorke and Burial collaborator Kieran Hebden aka Fourtet.

‘Across the Water’ opens proceedings with a beat that is so sparse it is in danger of disappearing. However, it’s surprisingly effective, functioning as a simple foil for Cherry’s plaintive, soulful croon. It is an emotional and arresting opening to an album that candidly deals with the death of Cherry’s mother and takes some of life’s big questions head on. The title track follows with a more tribal take on Foutet’s trademark minimalism.

Robyn makes an appearance on ‘Out of the Black’, part of a stunning closing suite of songs that ends Blank Project on a major high. Investigate.