CD Review: I Tell a Fly by Benjamin Clementine
Benjamin Clementine
Behind/Virgin EMI
Score: B+
After winning the 2015 Mercury Prize for best album of the year, Benjamin Clementine is back with his album, I Tell a Fly. Compared to his acclaimed debut, this album seems like a step back, but it’s still more interesting than the majority of music right now. Clementine is a talented composer, vocalist and poet. Although he favours piano-driven songs, the new album features Victorian-era strings, creating a mixture of beautiful, unsettling moments throughout its eleven tracks. Every song is unstable and unpredictable: it’s impossible to tell where Clementine is going to take his listener next. I Tell a Fly is an experience, but it’s hard to say if it’s enjoyable or emotional. His debut album was full of tear-inducing moments, but the vocal performance of this release falls short of its potential.
Paul McAleer