Sampha - Process
Critic Score
Based on 38 reviews
2017 Ratings: #48 / 940
Year End Rank: #7
User Score
2017 Rank: #39
Liked by 426 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
The Skinny

Process is an exercise in catharsis, a deep breath in that lays Sampha’s soul bare through gorgeous vignettes of his life. He worries, he regrets, he aches. He’s human.

91
Pretty Much Amazing

Somber, but not necessarily sad, Process maps Sissay’s emotional journey by confronting his feelings head-on; like the seven stages of grief, each emotion is unpacked and experienced through stirring cries, clever meshing of classical and electronic instruments, and a personified piano.

91
A.V. Club

Process is an exercise in finding beauty in even the tragedy of a parent’s death, a record of singular probity and hard-earned optimism. It’s the best R&B debut since FKA Twigs’ LP1.

90
Drowned in Sound

There is no doubt listening to Process that Sampha is dealing with a lot. But he is far from defeated – on the contrary, this record appears to be an invaluable opportunity for him to heal.

90
Exclaim!

Process was a long time coming, but the wait has resulted in one of the most assured debut albums in recent memory. Even if it should take Sampha another six years to follow it up, the wait, I expect, will be worth it.

90
The Line of Best Fit

Process is an album built to take your breath away. From start to finish, it’s a display of Sampha’s mastery as a lyricist, a singer and a musician.

90
The 405

Facing the pressure of collective expectations, genuinely buckling from 6 years of anticipation, it manages to both deliver on, and gracefully dodge, them all.

90
Mixmag
He is, perhaps, the UK’s finest vocal talent since Amy Winehouse.
90
AllMusic
In a way, this all makes the previous output seem merely preliminary.
88
GIGsoup
Fans of pop, soul, R&B, and electronic will all be able to take something thought-provoking and memorable away from this transcendent debut album.
86
Pitchfork

It’s a remarkable, meditative work, as he processes grief and navigates self-discovery.

83
Entertainment Weekly

The 28-year-old has earned accolades working as a writer and featured guest with top-tier talent including Beyoncé, Drake, and Frank Ocean, but over Process‘ 10 songs, Sampha executes a sonically adventurous vision that’s entirely his own and builds on his enormous potential.

80
The Young Folks
A promising debut that whispers of greater talent to come.
80
FLOOD Magazine

Every word and every sound across Process feel like they’re chosen with precision by a man whose craft is assured, who didn’t get into this business out of hunger for the spotlight, but whose talents are too big for him to avoid it.

80
Q Magazine
Sampha's lyrics are clever and his voice so inherently likeable that it works.
80
The Observer
If Sampha’s process sounds like one big downer, it isn’t. Every listen throws up some new, previously unnoticed innovation.
80
The Irish Times
His delicate wisp of a falsetto is a fantastic calling card and something which brings each song smartly together, yet he also has the ability to craft songs which are full of nuance and emotion.
80
Evening Standard
Sampha has channelled his talents into this remarkable debut.
80
The Telegraph

There is so much going on, it proves a hard album to fully get to grips with, a shifting tableau of songs and sounds with only that mesmeric voice to hang on to. But when it gets under your skin, it proves immensely difficult to dislodge.

80
The Independent

Vulnerability is the current stock-in-trade of neo-soul, but rarely has it been indulged quite as imaginatively as on Sampha’s Process.

80
Crack Magazine

Process swells with the impassioned, melodic expressions of South London’s Sampha Sisay.

80
Mojo

Sampha’s solo debut sits somewhere between the ghostly avant-soul of Frank Ocean and James Blake’s emotionally wrought electronica.

80
The Guardian
It’s a weighty, powerful album with an identity entirely of its own. And while clearly not constructed with commercial ambition at the forefront of its mind, it’s certainly good enough to make an unlikely star of the man behind it.
80
Clash

With ‘Process’, Sampha lays bare his soul through warm, tinted vignettes that are achingly humane.

80
Loud and Quiet
Shorn of flab and clocking in at that magic ten-track, 40-minute mark, ‘Process’ is a triumph not only of feeling and melody, but also of patience and efficiency.
80
Rolling Stone
He's hook man to pop's most advanced megastars – see Solange's "Don't Touch My Hair," Kanye West's "Saint Pablo," Frank Ocean's "Alabama," Drake's "Too Much" – but his debut LP proves him their peer.
80
DIY

A debut bursting with ideas, broad in scope, and vivid in its storytelling.

80
No Ripcord

With his debut LP Process, Sisay has finally given an insight to the man behind the anonymity, and it’s a stunning insight at that.

80
NME
‘Process’ might not be as bold or as inventive or as life-changing as some of the other records Sampha’s had a hand in during his career, but it does have a quiet, dignified impact that suits its maker. He hasn’t stepped out of his shadowy, background world; instead, he’s invited us to join him there.
80
PopMatters

Despite Sampha’s longstanding prevalence in the music world, the intensely personal nature of Process demands a renewed relationship to his work, one that appreciates the power of distance yet marvels at connection.

75
Consequence of Sound

If Process was flawless, Sampha’s voice would leave listeners teary, and in a time as somber as now, these uplifting numbers remind us to take a break, immerse ourselves in a rush, and focus on the positive — a welcome path to wander down.

72
Northern Transmissions

Sampha and McDonald maneuver through a mix of naked arrangements and more electro-spiked moments on Process without getting too showy. It makes for a smooth and subtly rewarding listen, but this may also be Process’ pitfall, the record rarely ready to bask in the sun, as it were.

70
FasterLouder

All ten tracks of Process paint a picture with Sampha’s thoughts, experiences and talent dead centre, in isolation.

70
Spectrum Culture

Flawed though it is, Process is an astonishing debut that reveals things about the artist no one would have expected.

70
musicOMH

It’s a comforting record, but one you wish was a little more abrupt in places. Even so, it’s a hugely graceful collection played out with dignity.

60
Under the Radar

Expectations for Sampha's first full-length album proper have been sky high. Previous collaborative efforts have in fact been nigh-on flawless, so much so that it's hard to imagine one of modern soul music's most talented voices featuring on anything less than above average. It's unfortunate then that Process, bar some stand-out moments, proves to be somewhat underwhelming.

BradTasteMusic
78

This is like a less interesting Blonde. That is saying something right there.

Edit (48 -> 78): wow I was very impatient in 2017. Process does require that. It feels like a pure and holy Baptism for 40 minutes. It’s bliss. Slow, but rewards patience. Very pretty album

elitimesfour
90

I would love to write a million words to describe this phenomenal body of work, but the only ones that can ever escape my lips are, ‘transcendent’.

Kal3n
100

Heyo! since I haven’t used this account in about 3 years, please follow my active account here: @kal3nk
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/kal3nk/

OUT OF MY COMFORT-ZONE - CHALLENGE
DAY 17
[Genre(s): Alternative R&B]

London-based artist Sampha released his debut album 'Process' in February of 2017. Known for lending his talents to artist like Drake on 'More Life', SBTRKT on his self-titled and many more artists from his home-country and across the world. Although, I found him ... read more

89

Sampha doesn't miss

qwayZ
100

shoutout Gstv for the recommendation, go follow them rn or I will steal ur sink

dude thanks for reminding me about this album bc I always forget to review it and it is one of my favorite albums of all time

Not much to say other than the supreme masterclass by Sampha, this soulful journey sends you to another dimension and doesn't send you back

fav: Plastic 100°C, Blood On Me, (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano

Gstv
90

After listening to "Lahai" I really wanted more from him so I decided to check his debut album and what an amazing one! Just like his second album, Sampha uses his own style, Alternative R&B, that is amazing and amazing lyrics and rhythms in every single song!
★ Blood On Me

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Added on: November 3, 2016