Cleo Sol
Heaven
Forever Living Originals
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Cleo Sol’s third album marks a noticeable shift toward a more intimate musical accompaniment. The trademark rhythm section power of the SAULT albums and her debut Rose In The Dark (2020) subsided slightly on her follow-up Mother (2021), but added the same expansive flourishes that had also graced Little Simz’s Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021). Here, for the most part though, the music has been stripped back to pretty basic but beautifully effective arrangements.
Across her previous two albums with partner in life and music, Inflo, her voice has always delivered an intimate vocal experience—it has always felt like she is singing solely for me—but here the markedly turned-down musical backdrop makes it a seriously intense record. Her voice has always sounded wonderful on record, but anyone who was lucky enough to attend her concerts at the Royal Albert Hall (me, I did!) will tell you that her voice has not just beauty but strength and power too.
Whereas Mother unsurprisingly dealt with the newest role in her life, Heaven is akin to a self-help book, filled as it is with universal truths and hard-learned lessons from her life thus far. On opener “Self,” she sings of “turning anger into peace,” “Airplane” finds her reminding someone (herself, maybe) that they’ll find their power again, and “Old Friends” mentions the long-lasting tear-stained pillows of a friendship betrayed. But there’s no triteness or condescension despite those things often springing from those places. Rather there is the sense it is your best friend whispering advice and sharing experiences over the drink of your choice around an autumnal fire.
The muted rhythm section is mainly augmented by the lush sounds of a Fender Rhodes alongside the odd sprinkling of acoustic guitar. “Airplane” is a good case in point—chilled acoustic guitar accompanies the tale of hurt overcome and new beginnings, while Sol’s rich velvet voice balances delicacy and power perfectly. “Heaven,” meanwhile, could (with slightly swampier production) be taken from D’Angelo’s Voodoo (2000) sessions, albeit with Sol’s vocal stamp. It has that same sinuous, take-your-time attitude to groove that characterizes the middle of D’Angelo’s masterpiece.
Listen to the Album:
A slight shift in accompaniment comes on the aforementioned ode to lost friendships, “Old Friend.’ Here the piano leads Sol on a heartbreaking tale of secrets shared and, ultimately, redemption. There is a hesitant and emotionally strained delivery of the vocals that reflects perfectly the subject matter of the song and it makes the vulnerability on show, all the more powerful. Later, the tempo shifts upwards on “Nothing On Me,” with its rimshots and Spanish Joint vibe before returning to its modus operandi on album closer “Love Will Lead You There.”
Heaven both promotes and demands stillness and contemplation to fully appreciate its many charms. Above all though, the manifold qualities of Sol’s voice and artistry are what linger long in the memory and ensure a return to the sparse and deeply affecting songs therein.
Notable Tracks: “Airplane” | “Heaven” | “Old Friends”
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