Dave - The Boy Who Played The Harp (Album Review)
Dave’s fourth studio album continues the artist’s ruminative approach to his craft. The Mercury prize winner is no stranger to exploring socio-philosophical and cultural introspections in his writing but The Boy Who Played The Harp is his boldest and most eloquent work to date. Writing aside, Dave has become a stronger producer with every album and has sonically provided as attention-heavy storytelling as his lyrics.
The Boy Who Played The Harp is a considered curation of songs that boldly looks inwards while asking the listener to think critically. Dave has brought along some of the industry’s greatest talents in Tems, Kano, James Blake and Jim Legxacy, the latter two of which also contributed to the production of this piece and round it out as a whole.
The album starts with an intense church organ sound which Dave instantly cuts through, letting you know that he has a lot to say on this one and he’s not gonna waste a second.
This is God’s plan.
The first line instantly grips with Dave’s sense of destiny and belonging, putting the listener right where they are supposed to be. James Blake’s vocals alongside his production creates this religiously ethereal sound that's so large it begs you to imagine the track being played in a decadent church echoing off the walls. From the offset it feels like a breath of cathartic air from the artist.
The album moves through sways of intense revelations on ego and wealth in History or exploring the artist's relationship with religion and ageing in 175 months. But then the album will turn to a song such as No Weapons with his Sprinter collaborator and up-and-coming star, Jim Legxacy, where he’ll discuss personal reflections of his upbringing across a steadier and calmer beat. Legxacy’s layered vocals and clear influence on the production, especially the drums, have created a chorus that is both infectious and heartfelt.
Chapter 16 brings us to one of the most important tracks across all of Dave’s work where he got to rap opposite someone he’s cited as one of his biggest influences. Having said that, I think you’d struggle to find any British rap artists that weren’t influenced by Kano. An intergenerational conversation takes place which puts the world to rights. Having the privilege of listening to these two spit to one another in love and guidance is something we will only grow to appreciate with time. This track is the sonic equivalent of the cafe scene in Heat between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. It offers nothing but talent from each end of the table with dynamic wordplay and riddled with rhythm and rhyme pattern switches that keeps the song from growing rambly or stale.
Dave leaves room for softer touches as well with Raindance featuring Tems, who he later lists as one of the industry’s greatest talents. Raindance is a lighter love song with Tems’ beautiful vocal ringing through the track with soulful perfection while Dave tells his energetic flirty story.
James Blake’s second feature across the album comes with Selfish, where Dave confronts his rejection of therapy while simultaneously highlighting a number of reasons why he might need it. It’s the most vulnerable he gets on the album and speaks extremely literally of his personal struggles with depression. While a heavy load to bear, his flow alongside Blake’s soaring vocals makes for a truly entertaining listen.
The artist continues to pour his heart out in the 7 minutes and 51 seconds long track, My 27th Birthday, a callback to his previous track My 19th Birthday is a stream of consciousness song that sees Dave reveal his innermost thoughts around his fame, political views and personal relationships. He speaks on the inner turmoil caused by the hypocrisy of fame, for example:
“I cried about slavery, then went to Dubai with my girl". "Surely I ain't part of the problem, I lied to myself, Jewels that my people die for are a sign of my wealth.
Dave speaks honestly and critically of himself which as a fan, you hope isn’t just a song and he actually takes into consideration before booking his next holiday. This track is an excellent example of Dave doing what he does best by being the self-aware rapper that he is.
Another great example of this comes on the next two tracks, Marvellous and Fairchild, the latter featuring Nicole Blakk. Marvellous confronts the glorification of crime and misogyny that young men often adopt, reflecting on Dave’s own downfalls and how disenfranchised youths can be so easily manipulated. This pairs powerfully with Fairchild, which recounts several instances of sexual assault and abuse rooted in male ignorance and violence, something Dave already references in the previous song. On Fairchild itself, Dave even speaks about his own shortcomings and how all men need to be part of the solution.
Nicole Blakk’s heartbreaking and passionate verse tells a crushing but powerful story that so many women will relate to: “If you ain’t a girl then you won’t understand the feeling”. Dave’s song, I hope, is the start of his solution to protecting women. Through this track and others where he has spoken on the subject, such as Lesley from Psychodrama, it is clear this is something he is admirably passionate about. We need more people in his position, with influence over so many young men, to speak up in the same way.
The final and title track of this body of work, The Boy Who Played the Harp, brings together everything he has spoken about so far, with one question at its heart: What is Dave’s purpose? Or what is the purpose of any artist? What is his impact? Dave explores this by placing himself at the scene of historical events like the Titanic and the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. He questions his next steps, what he has been given, and whether he deserves it. He references being passed the torch by Kano and ends beautifully, pulling strength and will into his heart and declaring himself the musician with angelic power, the Boy Who Played the Harp, for that is his greatest gift from the universe. This is Dave’s tightest and strongest piece of work which epitomises everything that makes him unique as a rapper and artist and it is by album, his greatest work to date.
Words: Adam Mir