Two of the singles
Michael Milosh
released ahead of
Home
had more dancefloor zest than anything off
Blood
, his previous
Rhye
album. "Black Rain" started with a somewhat "Billie Jean"-like beat and curlicued strings -- the latter deployed like the second coming of disco revivalists
Faze Action
-- and turned up the heat with some dramatic thrusts.
Milosh
finessed the change well enough that the song would've sounded just like
even as an instrumental, without his characteristic sighing vocals and persuasive lyrics. Just before
was released,
entered Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs for the first time as a headliner with "Come In Closer," a lighter number making greater use of the strings and a touch of funk in the bass line. Those two songs, plus a third
Roland LeFox
collaboration -- the finely woven "Sweetest Revenge," which with its snaking bass line evokes
Kleeer
's mid-'80s slow jam classic "Intimate Connection" -- ensure that
is at once unmistakably
and an obvious progression.
's approach as a songwriter and vocalist hasn't changed much. He's still addressing his lover, gently coaxing and assuring her, letting her know how he feels, communicating at all times on an intimate level. Throughout are references to (quiet) storms, waves, and rain made with literal and metaphorical purposes. The prevailing sense of solace (home indeed) is felt deepest in "Come In Closer," where
welcomes a visitor with "You made it through these rough waters, and your hair's still wet/Come in from the cold." The songs made with
collaborators such as
Itai Shapira
,
Nate Mercerau
, and
Ben Schwier
aren't retreads, either, still fleet but considerably heftier, as if the word "dainty" was drawn with a slash through it and posted on the walls of each studio where they worked. Another element that sets this apart from
's earlier work is the
Danish National Girls Choir
, whose recurring presence is stirring rather than the cloying distraction it could have been. This being the
album with the most layers,
was wise to employ the brilliant
Alan Moulder
(
My Bloody Valentine
Nine Inch Nails
the Killers
) as mixing engineer. Every change pays off. ~ Andy Kellman