Raft is a solo studio album by English guitarist Mike Cooper. It was released on 7 July 2017 through Room40. It received generally favorable reviews from critics.
Background.
"Raft" is specifically inspired by the sailors Vital Alsar and William Wills. A music video was released for the song "Raft 21 – Guayaquil to Tully".
Critical reception.
Will Neibergall of "Tiny Mix Tapes" stated, "In a changing and frustrating world where everything solid seems to fall into aqueous mixture, Mike Cooper is still afloat, his guitar tied tightly to his lap with patch cords, so talented as always at finding another raft." He added, "["Raft"] may seem conceptually like a retrospective or statement of purpose, and it holds up nicely as a portrait, but it should also be considered a refinement, wading further away from readymade images of the tropics and into the depth of the traveler's imagination." Andy Beta of "Pitchfork" commented that "Glints of old country blues, slack-key guitarist Gabby Pahinui, Fripp & Eno's "(No Pussyfooting)", or the KLF's "Chill Out" might all come to mind, but if Cooper's varied and voluminous catalog tells us anything, these are all just tributaries flowing into the man's particular ocean of sound."