The enigmatic African American artist’s latest proposal falls between a break and continuity with his most recent creations, as he steps back from the experimental for a more commercial approach, without restricting the range of his audacity.
A nomad of genres with a resolutely sovereign approach, Yves Tumor succeeds in the delicate gymnastics of diversifying himself while achieving a radiant work of coherence. Heaven to a Tortured Mind is a refined opus that delights, on one hand, with the complexity of its arrangements, the great precision of its vocal tracks and its sensual and ethereal textures, but also shines in its colourful and varied lyrics, the comfortable flow of its R&B, the elasticity of its electric guitars and its P-funk psychedelia. He is the unlikely yet convincing heir to Prince, and the glam rock of T. Rex and David Bowie. The palette is ample and voluptuous. The sequence of tracks is always full of surprises, and shows a clear and controlled versatility. For example, the ballad “Strawberry Privilege” is a crunchy pearl of aerial pop, while “Asteroid Blues” is languorous krautrock.
It is in every way an offering imbued with romanticism, in perfect cohesion with the fragmented image of this character who shuns conventions. An invitation to dissolve into the depths of his soul that confirms beyond any doubt the privileged position of this artist in a class of his own.
