da873623c98928185f5fee6ee4eb4d49

Nao: And Then Life Was Beautiful review – soaring to new heights | Musique Non Stop

da873623c98928185f5fee6ee4eb4d49

Sunday, September 26, 2021

Nao: And Then Life Was Beautiful review – soaring to new heights

(RCA)
The Grammy-nominated Londoner takes things to the next level with this impeccably on point third album

Last year was tricky. To the global pandemic add a major breakup and a baby – events that shaped And Then Life Was Beautiful, a gamechanging third album by this Grammy- and Mercury-nominated soul singer. Since her debut in 2016, Nao has combined aerated, spun-sugar tones – think Aaliyah, but with east London glottal stops – with eclectic backings.

ATLWB feels like a step up, detailing an emotional journey that refreshes tired tropes with hard-won insight and musical self-assurance. Not settling for unhappiness is the theme of album taster Messy Love. Even better is the 90s-leaning Glad That You’re Gone, which piles heavenly harmonies on to Nao’s deceptively featherlight vocal. Tremulous strings and a restrained guitar solo add to the feeling of classy unconventionality here.

Continue reading...
by Kitty Empire via Electronic music | The Guardian

No comments:

Post a Comment

jQuery(document).ready() {