Considering the limited commercial success of Trimbal, don’t feel stupid if the former Roll Deep member and grime MC is not top of your iTunes most played list. However reworked by Harmonimix – alias of the acclaimed James Blake – Trimbal will undoubtedly benefit from such an association.
After bursting into the hearts of the ‘post-call-it-what-you-want-step’ followers, Blake went on to attain runner up in the ‘BBC’s Sound of 2011’, as well as being shortlisted for a Mercury Music Prize. Indeed, this is all very charming, but the production of ‘Confidence Boost’ slightly cuts away from the soulful styling of such track as: ‘Limit to Your Love’, and resorts to a more grime and bass influenced sound. At first Blake’s construction features a punchy grime beat for Trimbal’s lyrics to thrive on. However, as the track moves forward into a harmonic contrast, Blake’s trademark synth and bass move in to underpin the entire track until the depth of sound is such that its combusts together in an inspiring crescendo.
Though Blake’s production steals my attention, Trimbal himself must also take credit for the emotive lyrics which give this track purpose. Nevertheless, the mirroring of Trimbal’s flow with an auto tuned voice is testament to Blake’s talent, and only adds to the list of reasons for why this single should be a crossover success.
The B-side to ‘Confidence Boost’, ‘Saying’ also possesses fascinating sound which is more in line with both Trimbal and Blake’s solo work. If you’re lucky enough to read this before tickets go on sale (they will sell out in seconds), then James Blake will be performing an intimate live show at the Gorilla in Manchester on December the 6th, as well as two other small dates in London and Bristol.
