Lianne La Havas: Blood | Album Review

Blood
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Artist: Lianne La Havas
Genre: R&B / Soul
Label: Warners

London-born, of multicultural parentage, Lianne La Havas isn't easy to pin down – she is as much at home supporting Bon Iver as collaborating in the studio with Prince. Her follow-up to 2012's Is Your Love Big Enough? sees her deviate even further from her neo-soul debut. As the title Blood might suggest, the majority of the songs here reference La Havas's background – Green and Gold, for example, was written after the singer's first trip to Jamaica, her mother's birthplace. Though the album is a part-collaboration with dancehall producer Stephen McGregor (son of rocksteady star Freddie), there isn't a smidgen of reggae to be heard. Rather, it's a smart delivery of digital soul (Wonderful), elegant ballad (Good Goodbye), brass-inclined (Midnight), and breezy soul-pop (What You Don't Do). A second album that second guesses? La Havas wins again. liannelahavas.com

"With Blood, I feel that the songs are more mature and are written in a new way" - Read Lianne La Havas' interview whith Tony Clayton-Lea here

Tony Clayton-Lea

Tony Clayton-Lea

Tony Clayton-Lea is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in popular culture