Loraine James – Building Something Beautiful For Me
Loraine James’s second LP of the year, draws from the late, great Julius Eastman but is at its best when wearing his influence lightly
The much needed redressing of the undervaluing of Julius Eastman’s spectacular talent continues with Loraine James’s new record, a self-described homage to him and his works. However, as spectacular as both artists respective works are, it's in its direct replication that the album falters. James turns Stay On It and its giddy central riff into a muted little sigh of a song that never really builds in the way it tries to, while Choose To Be Gay (Feminine) reinterprets Feminine almost entirely but keeps its rolling xylophones that never quite gel with the rest of the instrumentation.
The album, however, fares far better the further it strays from replicating Eastman’s work. The build of the gorgeous Enfield, Always, from pulsing kicks to fizzing hi-hats and whirling arpeggios is a joy to behold, and the staccato fidgets of Black Excellence (Stay On It) are spritely and energised in a way the earlier tracks weren’t. Eastman’s influence feels more implicit in these tracks, and all the better for it.
The record ultimately feels like something of a minor work in James’s already imposing output, but remains a pointer to both her and Eastman’s sparkling talents.
Listen to: Enfield, Always, My Take, Black Excellence (Stay On It)