ALBUM REVIEW: Blank Project- Neneh Cherry

A regular feature of this blog will be album reviews. Today I had a listen of Neneh Cherry's fourth studio album Blank Project which was released last week. Neneh is a Swedish singer-songwriter and her fourth studio album features some calm quiet tracks one of which features Robyn.

The album starts off with the quiet slowly paced Across The Water. Despite being the opening track it doesn't particularly set the album off well as it is quite dull. The track is very quiet and you have to turn the volume up quite a bit to hear the best of it. However it is followed by the exciting title-track Blank Project which has a dark tribal feel to it. After this comes Naked which features vulnerable moan-like vocals from Cherry. The song is quite dark and distressed and shows a weak side to Cherry.
This is followed by the infectious Spit Three Times which is one of the album highlights. This track picks up the pace a bit with big percussion and a quicker beat. The song has a larger sounding chorus to it and moves slightly away from the duller sounds we've been hearing so far. After this comes another album highlight Weightless which has a rocky sound to it. There is a rough bass-like sound throughout the chorus and is much quicker paced than the other tracks so far. The song is very similar to some stuff by The Noisettes.
After this comes Cynical which has bubble-like and loud percussion. Cherry shows off some high pitched vocals and a chatty verse. Then comes the emotional and dream-like 422 which has faded percussion and vocals. The track is very relaxed and almost sleepy.
Track 8 is Out of the Black which features Swedish singer Robyn. The track is dark and infectious bringing together two great voices. Robyn shows off some vulnerable vocals in this track.
Track 9 is probably the most club-like track within a mile of this album. Dossier is without a doubt the quickest-paced track on the album and is probably the most upbeat track.
The album concludes with Everything which like the other tracks is dreamy and calm but slightly happier than the others.

Overall I found the album a bit dull and monotonous. The tracks had a lack of tune and progression and were very quiet. Cherry's vocals were good despite being a bit shaky in some places but there were highlights such as Spit Three Times and Weightless. If you liked the track Atticus by The Noisettes you'll love this album.

Best Track? Definitely the single Out of the Black featuring Robyn.

Worst track? 422 was awfully dull and difficult to listen to.

Rating: 3/5

Have you listened to this album? Comment below to share your thoughts.