Mar 27, 2026 7:25am PT

Raye Doubles Down on, Well, Everything With the Ambitious, Gloriously Sprawling ‘This Music May Contain Hope’: Album Review

Jem Aswad

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Jem Aswad

Executive Editor, Music

jemaswad

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Photo: Aliyah Otchere

It’s been said countless times that for a new artist, especially a successful one, the second album is exponentially more difficult than the first. There’s the constantly looming threat of the sophomore slump, and the old saw that the artist has had their entire life to write the first album and barely a spare minute to write the second. But steeper and yet more-subtle challenges are involved as well: How much can you change or progress artistically without alienating the people who loved your first album, and at the same time not repeat yourself?