Arriving 5 years after her phenomenally successful (and more importantly, really good) second album ‘Blood’, Lianne La Havas’ 3rd album is a rawer prospect than it’s predecessor.
Typically, when an artist releases a self-titled album well into their career it is to signify a new identity or fresh representation of themselves. Traces of that mindset can be found throughout this full-length.
While La Havas hallmark style is present; her vocals are as accomplished as ever, her guitar playing retains that trademark flair and her arrangements still reach dizzying orchestral crescendos, there is a new side to La Havas that makes the recorded feel more grounded and organic.
Take the scuzzy outro to ‘Weird Fishes’, the head-nodding sluggish groove on opener ‘Bittersweet’ or the addictive guitar loop that provides the foundation to ‘Can’t Fight’. These fresh touches give this record a contemporary feel that is informed by the classics.