By: Fatima Privitt
Ravyn Lenae in Vogue
The idea of R&B that often plagues the genre is that it should have a familiar sound that does not take many risks. Chicago songstress Ravyn Lenae challenges that idea with her experimental alternative R&B project, Blue Island, taking risks in ways that feel fresh and intentional. Drawing from ‘70s Motown, ‘80s synth-pop, and 2000s pop and soul, with influences reminiscent of artists like Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Jill Scott, Lenae combines honest storytelling, airy vocals, and otherworldly production.
Rather than treating genre as a limitation, Blue Island moves fluidly between different production styles. Those changes, however, never feel disconnected from Lenae’s voice or the stories she is telling. She takes those influences and reshapes them through a contemporary lens, and with each listen, another production choice or stylistic detail reveals itself. This gives the album a sense of freshness that keeps it from feeling confined to one particular sound.
Fourteen songs, 48 minutes, and a soothing sound that feels like a dream. From the intro “Handle” to the outro “Let Us In”, and the second track “Familiar Dreams,” which takes a completely different approach from the rest of the album, the songs incorporate grungy indie-rock riffs with synths that remain present throughout. “Never Let Me Go” mixes raw vocals, handclaps, crisp percussion, and organ chords that mesh beautifully with Lenae’s nostalgic-sounding vocals, creating a layered and immersive production.
Link to Ravyn Lenae's Blue Island
“In & Out,” “Potential,” and “Sew Me Back Together” all take a similar approach, exploring the lovesick ambivalence of feeling overwhelmed, wanting to be around the same person, and being unable to sleep because you want to be with them. With a classic retro sound paired with a contemporary production style, Lenae’s lively vocals perfectly complement the steady rhythm of the doo-wop neo-soul mixture.
Her ethereal vocals, which feel almost like a memory, are among the album’s biggest standouts. On songs like “Reputation,” “Baby Girl Barriers,” “Wish You Well,” “Bobby,” and “Find it One Day,” her dreamy vocals blend with ‘80s synth-pop and a retro, upbeat atmosphere. The lyrics connect to themes of letting go, embracing independence, and vulnerability, making Blue Island a body of work that showcases different stages of growth, coming of age, love, and loss.
On “Find it One Day,” when Lenae sings, “the space between the lines is where we live… every page is a stage for me to sing my heart out”, we are brought directly into the emotional vulnerability that the album embraces. Blue Island is not afraid to be different or to try something new. Instead, it takes listeners through the creative world of the many influences that have shaped Lenae’s musical journey and personal experiences without placing her in the box that many artists feel pressured to fit into.
Through doo-wop, neo-soul, ‘70s and ‘80s soul, gospel, and synth influences, the album’s arrangement and gentle, airy vocal performances are matched by unexpected guitar riffs, handclaps, and complex production.