An album that starts with a soulful "Barely alive" and keeps rising the temperature with some RnB, soul, rock tunes that wink at Stax and the golden 70s all in favor of the great passionate, emotional voice of Yola. The dance floor favorite "Dancing away in tears" with the disco overtones, the honky tonk "Diamond studded shoes" or the laid back, "Be my friend" a song that could be easily at any Free album."Great divide" is another example of the versatility of her voice and the easiness she embraces different genres, a sugar coated ballad about heartbreak straight from the 60s songbooks. 'Starlight" is another jazz infused soul ballad with a dark dance twist and Yola's voice is as uplifting as ever. A bit more up tempo and modern "If i had to do it all again" is a modern pop song ready for the pop radio stations. At the same page/pace is "Now you are here, the smokey joints have been replaced by lounges with well dressed guys, but the warmth of Yola's voice is here even if the tempo has become more contemporary.
Yola is Bristol born and Nashville based but her voice is universal and her influences across decades and genres. So she is easily moves from the lounges to a 60s anthem like "whatever you want" with the slide guitar and the country overtones giving the tone."Break the bough" continues the up tempo ,soul effort, raising the roof of the joint with its intensity. It has to be "Like a photograph" for Yola to let her most sensitive side take over, once more in this countrified, jazzy ballad with the strings taking over like a Burt Bucharach's song, proving her voice range and her abilities to deliver emotionally, regardless the genre. The album is closing with "Stand for myself" a modern soul rock album where Yola makes her statement as a female voice with passion and nothing to prove to anyone ,but her ability to rock any place. In our days of plastic pop and lounge soul for elevators, Yola delivers music from the soul for the soul.
7,5
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