by
Kate Tempest
- Record Label: American Recordings
- Release Date: Jun 14, 2019
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Nov 4, 2019Even if you struggle with the minimal production, “The Book of Traps and Lessons” is still an important album and one worth repeated listens. We are in an age of chaos and outrage, and Tempest offers clarity and compassion. She is one of the great voices of our age, and an essential artist.
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Sep 19, 2019The Book of Traps and Lessons is sharp as Tempest's lyrics position her as a soothsayer. Through her album, she inspires a call for consciousness that will certainly incite radical social and personal change.
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Aug 20, 2019It is a genuine surprise that this is Tempest's first record not to be Mercury Prize-nominated, given it could well go down as her best, but regardless, this is a highly satisfactory work.
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Jul 9, 2019There’s nothing new here, but it’s a strange feeling of someone else repeating back what you’ve probably been thinking. Tempest acknowledges she’s not saying anything revolutionary, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth saying.
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Jun 19, 2019She has a unique capacity to include all the world’s issues in the album just by slipping in an occasional nugget of truth that punches the listener in the gut.
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Jun 17, 2019An always thought-provoking record.
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Jun 17, 2019Togetherness is the force that continually grounds The Book Of Traps And Lessons despite the dystopian soldiers that march across its drenched landscape.
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Jun 14, 2019On The Book of Traps and Lessons Kate Tempest continues to impress as one of the UK’s most vital voices.
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MojoJun 14, 2019The result is mesmerising--one lone, moving meditation on love and England and murderous empire. [Jul 2019, p.86]
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Jun 14, 2019Overall The Book Of Traps And Lessons is best with a healthy dose of thoughtfulness and nuance, and while it falters on the occasions when these are disregarded, this album is another example of why Tempest’s spoken-word works now routinely amplify well beyond her poetic beginnings.
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Jun 14, 2019This record is a living poem that captures the angry tension of being alive in 2019: trying not to look directly at the oncoming crises, trying to love and give and dance in the midst of firesmoke.
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Jun 14, 2019A natural empath, she wraps warm words around the shoulders of lives made wretched by those who breathe easiest. ... A monumental achievement that stands utterly alone.
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UncutJun 13, 2019Claustrophobic, gripping, uncomfortably frank suite. [Aug 2019, p.39]
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Jun 13, 2019She is still at her best as a performer, delivering her work verbally, lingering here and there, quavering when needed, framing questions, summoning anger, then letting the needle drop right on the beat. Emotionally, there's a lot to unpack, but the need to feel and engage more deeply is one of her primary decrees and this powerful album is a lesson worth learning.
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Jun 13, 2019While it isn’t as immediate as ‘Everybody Down’ or as viscerally brutal as ‘Brand New Ancients’, there is a new maturity here. Tempest is baring her soul, and scars, for the world to see – she doesn’t need to rage to get her point across. There is a powerful understatement to this album that yields more secrets with every listen.
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Q MagazineJun 13, 2019A clever marriage of weighty words and sonic delight. [Summer 2019, p.115]
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