Faithless
All Blessed
BMG
Buy via Official Store | Listen to the Deluxe Edition Below
Next month marks 25 years since Faithless formally arrived on the global music map by way of their enduringly magnetic anthem of nocturnal restlessness, “Insomnia,” which arrived four months after their equally inspired debut single “Salva Mea” emerged in July 1995. And while devoted champions of the legendary UK dance music pioneers know better, so-called fans of the more casual or fair-weather variety still most closely—and let’s be honest, rather myopically—associate the group’s legacy with this initial tandem of career-commencing tunes.
While the lasting impact and timeless appeal of “Insomnia” and “Salva Mea” are not lost on me, they will forever represent just the tip of the iceberg that became my lifelong affection for Faithless’ music. From their inaugural album Reverence (1996) through to their sixth album The Dance (2010), the core crew of Rollo Armstrong, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz continually refined and expanded their penchant for crafting euphoric, emotive dance music that embraces substance over artifice, standing as a stark and far more satisfying contrast to the more stoic, superficial strains of EDM. Listened to as a whole, their six-album discography remains a shining embodiment of how electronic music can be crafted with grace and soul, and this is why these LPs are regular fixtures on my turntable to this day.
So imagine my and many other Faithless fans’ disillusionment when the group called it a day back in 2011, with a humbled Maxi Jazz conceding at the time that “After fifteen years and six albums, I think we’ve probably made our collective point by now and that it’s time to close the book and return to the library.” It was a gut punch of an announcement, a sour pill to swallow that there would be no new Faithless music to look forward to.
Nevertheless, a glimmer of hope has remained all along, this optimism being further fed by the band’s decision to reunite in 2015 for special 20th anniversary live gigs in London. When I revisited Reverence for its 20-year milestone back in 2016, I wrote, “Though Maxi Jazz, Sister Bliss, and Rollo have neither endorsed nor denied the possibility of recording new music together again in the future, my fingers are tightly crossed in the hopes of a more formal reunion down the road.”
One year ago, signs began to point not so subtly in the direction of these prayers for a reconvening being answered. Following a (thankfully) successful battle with his lung cancer diagnosis, Rollo unveiled his nostalgia-rich (and excellent) album The Last Summer under the R Plus moniker in October 2019. Though billed as a solo effort, the long player is for all intents and purposes a collaborative family affair, with both Sister Bliss and his sister Dido—an honorary member of Faithless owing to her many memorable vocal contributions throughout their oeuvre—feature prominently throughout.
Fast forward eight months and the prospect of Faithless dropping their proper seventh album began to take more concrete form with the surprise and short-lived release of the “Let the Music Decide” single in early June of this year. All traces of the single were rather abruptly removed from streaming platforms not too long after it surfaced, but a follow-up track materialized the following month by way of the buoyant “This Feeling” featuring spoken word poetry from London wordsmith Suli Breaks juxtaposed with the soothing croon of the Buckinghamshire born Nathan Ball.
Alas, following two additional sterling offerings that doubled as the official lead singles (the sublime shapeshifter “Synthesizer” featuring Ball once again and resplendent standout cut “Innadadance” featuring the aforementioned Suli Breaks and the pioneering funky dread supreme himself Jazzie B), Faithless has returned in signature class act form with All Blessed. “Brothers and sisters / How much time has passed?” the revered Soul II Soul founder inquires at the opening of the latter single, and upon an engaged listen to All Blessed, the group’s ten-year recording hiatus is rendered immaterial and it’s easy to imagine no time having passed at all.
Notably, Maxi Jazz is absent from the proceedings this go ‘round. While it is an adjustment for longtime fans to get accustomed to not hearing his distinctive voice and cerebral ruminations permeating a Faithless long player, the crew of collaborators the group recruits for All Blessed admirably fills the void. Suli Breaks’ multiple contributions are unequivocal highlights, particularly on the wistfully evocative opener “Poetry,” in which he delivers simple yet salient reminders to acknowledge the beauty that surrounds us, proclaiming, “There’s poetry in our everyday / in the trees when they sway / in the British skies as they transition between the blues and the grays / in the eyes of the old man when he wakes to see another day / in the eyes of the young boy who says ‘can you come out to play’”). Considering the current state of the world, the message resonates profoundly.
The wordsmith’s musings function as the album’s beginning and concluding bookends. Accompanied by the prolific Damien Jurado’s lush falsetto, he closes the final track “Take Your Time” with the reassuring clarion call to “take every moment and savor the flavor / of the past, the present, and the days that will last forever / seconds, minutes, days, weeks, months, years / how ‘bout we live in the spaces in between that no hourglass can measure / so let’s pause for a minute / let’s pause for a minute / and take our time / take our time.” An important reminder to slow down and enjoy the simple yet noble act of living, it’s sound advice that listeners would be well advised to heed during these darker days.
Other inspired moments include the dancefloor stormer of a title track and the soaring “I Need Someone” which finds Ball lending his lush vocals once again, this time alongside an eloquent soliloquy delivered by the acclaimed Nigerian born, London bred poet Caleb Femi. Though the vocal credit is curiously nowhere to be found (Rollo and Sister Bliss, do tell), “Walk in My Shoes” is a poignant and timely ode to empathy, with the anonymously soulful siren assuming the perspective of an immigrant, defiantly declaring “I'm not foreign / No, I'm just human / Hoping for a chance / For my children / And I have dreams / Like you do / So could you just try / To walk in my shoes?” It’s a powerful message of compassion that—despite its simplicity—regrettably still falls upon far too many pairs of deaf ears, particularly here in the states.
In an official statement surrounding the album’s release, the group explain, “In this troubled and increasingly violent world, this album reflects what has always been the Faithless manifesto: be conscious, be caring, love yourself so you can love others and understand who you are and where you are.” Indeed, we are all blessed to have Faithless pumping out of our speakers and headphones once again, offering a healthy dose of musical escapism to soothe our weary souls and transport us away from the myriad anxieties of the day, even if for just a fleeting yet unquestionably fulfilling hour at a time.
Notable Tracks: “I Need Someone” | “Innadadance” | “Poetry” | “Walk in My Shoes”
BUY All Blessed via Faithless’ Official Store
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