Lianne La Havas | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Lianne La Havas arrived in the early 2010s with a mostly acoustic and hushed hybrid of alternative folk and soul. The singer, songwriter, and guitarist was born and raised in London, England, the daughter of a Jamaican mother and Greek father. She was a member of the Paris Parade with Christian Pinchbeck (a future member of Elephant), but the act proved to be short-lived. La Havas eventually shifted to solo work and released Lost & Found, a four-track EP featuring a duet with Willy Mason, in October 2011. Two months later -- the same month she opened for Bon Iver during a North American tour -- it was announced that she had been nominated for the BBCs Sound of 2012 poll. Is Your Love Big Enough?, La Havas debut album for Warner Bros., was released in the U.K. in July 2012 and reached number five; the U.S. release through Nonesuch followed a month later. The set was produced almost entirely by songwriting partner Matt Hales (aka Aqualung). One major fan was Prince, who had La Havas contribute to his 2014 album Art Official Age. Around the same time, she also appeared on recordings by Alt-J and Tourist. Her second album, the bolder and more produced Blood, followed in 2015. Informed by a trip to Jamaica but additionally inspired by her Greek heritage, the set was preceded by the tracks "Unstoppable" and "What You Wont Do" and was issued that July. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 3 Title: Lost & Found Released: 2011-10-21 Tracks: 5 Duration: 18:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 No Room for Doubt (04:02) 2 Lost & Found (04:28) 3 Age (02:42) 4 Night School (02:40) 5 Final Form (04:11) |
 | Album: 2 of 3 Title: Is Your Love Big Enough? Released: 2012-07-06 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:02:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Dont Wake Me Up (03:44) 2 Is Your Love Big Enough? (03:21) 3 Lost & Found (04:27) 4 Au Cinéma (04:18) 5 No Room for Doubt (04:05) 6 Forget (03:51) 7 Age (02:43) 8 Elusive (03:55) 9 Everything Everything (03:49) 10 Gone (04:25) 11 Tease Me (03:37) 12 They Could Be Wrong (03:21) 13 Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye (In Paris) (03:03) 14 Arms of Danger (Solo in Paris) (03:27) 15 Empty (In Paris) (03:13) 16 He Loves Me (Solo in Paris) (03:30) 17 Forget (Solo in Paris) (04:01) |
| Is Your Love Big Enough? : Allmusic album Review : During late 2011 and early 2012, Lianne La Havas released a studio EP and a live EP, performed on Later…with Jools Holland, toured with Bon Iver, and was nominated for BBCs Sound of 2012 poll, which was won by fellow hybridist Michael Kiwanuka. Like Bon Iver and Kiwanuka, this native of London, England could be termed folk, but there are streaks of jazz and soul -- with adult alternative pop/rock as the pigeonhole -- in her debut album, produced by Matt Hales (aka Aqualung). Her material would fit on playlists that include not just the above-mentioned artists, but José James, Jessie Ware, Norah Jones, and Corinne Bailey Rae, as well as Scott Matthews, whose "Elusive" is covered here. Save for the wailing gospel flavor of "Is Your Love Big Enough?," the deceptive rollick of "Forget" (co-produced by TV on the Radios Dave Sitek), and the demon-releasing piano balladry of "Gone," the album maintains a level of sonic intensity that is as suited for the background as it is the foreground. The lyrics, however, sting as frequently as they soothe. Take "Waste all your time writing love songs, but you dont love me," "You broke me and taught me to hate myself," and "We all make mistakes, we do; I learned from you." Some of the songs are restrained and bare to the point of being plain and easy to disregard, but they succeed in accentuating La Havas thoughtful and often sharp words. Its an impressive start to a career that will hopefully last a long time. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 3 Title: Blood Released: 2015-07-31 Tracks: 10 Duration: 40:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Unstoppable (05:30) 2 Green and Gold (04:38) 3 What You Dont Do (03:41) 4 Tokyo (04:29) 5 Wonderful (04:16) 6 Midnight (03:30) 7 Grow (03:39) 8 Ghost (03:44) 9 Never Get Enough (03:22) 10 Good Goodbye (03:49) |
| Blood : Allmusic album Review : After she completed extensive touring in support of Is Your Love Big Enough?, Lianne La Havas visited Jamaica with her native Jamaican mother and connected with distant relatives. Additionally inspired by her Greek roots through her father -- hence the albums title -- and possibly fortified by her experiences recording with Prince, Alt-J, and Tourist, Blood is no mere rehash of the Top Five U.K. debut that preceded it. Matt Hales, aka Aqualung, remains on board as a production and co-writing partner, but he contributes to fewer songs. Among the collaborators here are Stephen McGregor (son of Freddie McGregor), retro-soul specialist Jamie Lidell, Disclosures Howard Lawrence, and pop heavy weights Mark Batson and Paul Epworth. La Havas goes for a bigger, bolder, more produced sound without glossing over her singer/songwriter/guitarist origin. The point is made in the opener, a storybook love song about being swept away that is carried on a rhythm firmer than anything heard on the debut. On "Tokyo," La Havas yearning and state of disorientation is intensified by hazy effects and an appealingly chunky and slow groove that wouldnt be out of place on Jessie Wares Devotion. "Midnight" and "Ghost" likewise wouldnt have the same resonance if merely sung and strummed, while "Never Get Enough" enters discretely but repeatedly veers into a dissonant stomp of lust and vexation. A few moments, like the wistful "Wonderful" and candid closer, are as hushed and restrained as the first albums highlights. The most vivid autobiographical song is "Green & Gold," a standout Lidell collaboration referencing La Havas growth into an adult who is proud and understanding of her background and identity. This work leaves the debut, impressive as it was, in the dust. | ||