I’m not one to shy away from the fact that I am a big fan of Emeli Sandé and her work, so to get new music from her is always exciting.
Despite the fact the album was due for release in June and rescheduled to September, my excitement hasn’t faltered while I’ve waited.
‘Real Life’ is a quality contribution in the busy push to Christmas.
On her third studio album, Emeli has focused on capturing real sound, real voices and real emotions. Avoiding the typical use of electronic substitutions, this album is full of stunning instrumentation.
The strings throughout make me melt with just how raw and real they are – rare nowadays (I’m looking at you Delta Goodrem).
This realness is brought to life with great lyrics and of course her powerful and emotive voice.
Throughout this album, Emeli sounds fresh while feeling the pain, heartache and love. It all feels super honest and let’s be fair – her voice remains one of the best in the business. The consistency across the album is a welcome one, at a time when some contemporaries have thrown the album format out the window. That being said, it does feel a touch predictable.
On the surface, most of the songs sonically don’t push boundaries in their composition. It feels very adult contemporary pop (not a bad thing), but it’s expected. There is no dimension or growth here and while I would have love to have heard that, it’s not a bad album by any means.
As mentioned previously, the strings throughout bring many of these songs to life. On good quality speakers or headphones, it’s like you’ve attended the symphony. For someone like myself who has a musically tuned ear, it’s easy to pick up the difference in quality and I have a deep appreciation for a musician’s attention to detail.
My standout tracks from this album speak for themselves. When you have a listen, you’ll understand why each of them is a special track to listen to. They bring to life Emeli’s story in their own unique way.
Sometimes the best things in life are the ones you’re familiar with.
In this day and age with so many artists chasing the “trend,” it’s lovely to hear someone pull together an album that suits them, their style and connects people to beautiful music.
Lovely to have you back Emeli.
VERDICT : 4/5.
MUST LISTEN : Same Old Feeling, Sparrow, Extraordinary Being.
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