Every single one of the eleven tracks on Miracles is a journey, not just sonically, but emotionally too. Following up on his debut album, Juvenile, CRi has delivered Miracles, his latest full-length. Released via Anjunadeep, Miracles sees the Canadian collaborate with artists from his native Quebec, while also including a number of instrumentals.
Starting off with “I Can Make It” which features the producer’s own vocals, the album reminds us of CRi’s talent for using one line, whether it be a sample (or in this case, his own vocals) and turning that into a thoughtful, non-repetitive production without sounding like the only thing changed was the cutoff filter.
Following that is a collaboration with longtime friend and collaborator Jesse Mac Cormack, who’s also been featured on a number of previous tracks of CRi’s. The skillful use of a key change throughout the song going into the choruses creates a signature and iconic sound that beautifully compliments his classic use of retro synths. This is complimented by thoughtfully-written lyrics with Jesse Mac Cormack’s ethereal but powerful voice.
“Astray” is another collaboration, this time with thoughtful vocals from fellow Quebecois trio Half Moon Run. With carefully built drum rhythms and synth patterns complimenting the dynamic vocals, “Astray” is one of the slower tracks on Miracles. The warmth on this track perfectly creates an enjoyable experience for the listener, and the outro shines with a reassuring feeling. Further down, Miracles includes a few more collaborations and instrumentals, including his customary track with French vocals. CRi beautifully presents one of the latter, “Gemini”, in a live session. Check it out below.
CRi has been on a roll with every track since his very early days. His uniqueness has been receiving growing recognition and earned him a spot headlining the Montreal Jazz Festival last year, and this album expands on his range of skills as a musician including a few faster-paced, almost DnB-esque tracks, notably “Butterfly” with HANA. He shared some insights on the origins of this newest album.
In October, he’ll be launching a North American album tour, starting off in his hometown of Montreal. He’ll be hitting stops all over the US and Canada, including everything from Los Angeles to Texas to Alberta. This is one live act not to miss. The skillful use of so many musical intricacies, lyrics with every word thought out, and CRi’s ever-growing skillset has our eyes on CRi for the long run, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
Author’s note
I am not exaggerating when I say that every single track on this album gives me goosebumps. Juvenile, CRi’s last album, still does, and is still one of my personal favorites. Moreover, this is one of Anjunadeep’s first Dolby Atmos-enabled releases, and these melodies are perhaps the most deserving of the Atmos treatment from the Anjunadeep catalogue. The potential to create an amazing experience with Atmos is brilliantly used. I’ve seen CRi once before, last year in 2022, and I will be attending his show in LA in October again this year. CRi has a unique talent for indie electronic music and I would encourage everyone reading to seriously check out this album, as this is one of the best albums I have ever listened to.
