For his second album, Brooklyn-based producer James Hinton has developed a conceit that’s beguiling if you know the back story but perplexing if you don’t. Each vocal sample on the record was borrowed from an aspiring singer or rapper in an obscure corner of YouTube. The title is optimistic: few of these vocalists display obvious potential, and their presence amid Hinton’s finely calibrated beats can be jarring. The clockwork production accentuates their awkwardness. But then you learn that the singer on Falling Out of Phase was doing a Keyshia Cole cover in front of a shower curtain and suddenly it all seems so much more affecting. It helps that Hinton’s regard for these wannabe superstars seems genuine.
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