Album Review: Ghostpoet - Some Say I So I Say Light

The world that British singer and producer Obaro Ejimiwe, aka Ghostpoet, exists is one where the line between talking and singing blurs. He's been quoted as saying that he mumbles “over quirky sounds”, and that's an extremely apt description.

And indeed, it's Ejimiwe's low-key approach which makes Some Say I So I Say Light work. You get the feeling you're being let in on his internal monologue without his knowledge, which means that his thoughts aren't being prettied up for the audience. On top of that, in much the same way that The xx make minimalism work for them, so does Ejimiwe. The few tracks that do have livelier musical accompaniment (actually, there are only two songs that fall into this category – Plastic Bag Brain and the album's debut single Meltdown (which features Woodpecker Wooliams) – are still within keeping with quieter numbers on the album – the extra noise is used sparingly and with good effect. The same can be said for the guest vocalists he enlisted for this record – they're used for the benefit of the song, not because of any clout their name may carry. English singer Lucy Rose (who has also worked with Bombay Bicycle Club) contributes vocals for Dial Tones, and the sweet clarity of her voice against Ejimiwe's deep, heavily accented words is beautiful.

Sound-wise, there is a lot that is similar between the tracks (excluding the aforementioned livelier numbers), yet Ejimiwe has put each one together in such a way that you don't really notice it, and if you do, you don't really mind. This is an intimate album and a mighty fine one at that.