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Feb 24, 2014 Issue #49 - February/March 2014 - Portlandia By Tom Fenwick

Not one to be rushed—it's almost a quarter of a century since the release of her debut Raw Like Sushi and 16 years since her last solo release—Blank Project marks the long overdue return of Neneh Cherry. Produced by Four Tet and recorded in just five days, it walks a similar path to her most recent work—2012's critically acclaimed collaborative project The Cherry Thing—but rather than layering her voice over avant-garde jazz, here it's wrapped in a sparse and digitized landscape.

The beats—provided by London duo RocketNumberNine—rattle along with a taut sonic intensity which is minimal yet fierce, retaining an economy of sound that befits the quiet storm of Cherry's vocals, with an emotional honesty in her voice that remains undiminished with age. At its best on self-confessional songs such as "Blank Project," "Cynical," and the ferocious "Weightless" the most acute and poignant moments of the album also feel the most personal—reflecting the darker lyrical concerns of middle age, stress, depression and parental angst.

A few tracks on the second half of the album suffer from a lack of momentum that sees them fall flat when they should soar—particularly the love-story-gone-sour "Dossier" and the much-touted  Robyn duet "Out of the Black," both of which feel like missed opportunities. But minor quibbles aside, for the most part Blank Project shares the same timeless quality as her best work and sees a mature and engaging return for one of pop's true originals. Let's just hope she doesn't leave it so long next time. (www.nenehcherry.de)

Author rating: 7.5/10