Review: Lianne La Havas – Blood

Londoner Lianne La Havas returns this month with her sophomore album, Blood, an ode to her maternal Jamaican heritage which mingled with her father’s Greek background to give the world her special blend of magic. The new material is a bit different from her 2012 debut, Is Your Love Big Enough?, which was honored as iTunes Album of the Year. But she is happy to indulge this new direction. After a family trip to Jamaica, Lianne decided to call the album Blood because of the kinship that was felt during the visit. The feeling of being on the island and the experiences of walking around as an appreciative daughter decedent of the Caribbean is what she wanted to convey, though the album is more about love and relationships than Yardie sensibilities. The song “Green & Gold”, however, is one of the more direct references to that national identity as it was written with the Jamaican flag in mind when she returned from her trip. An autobiographical account of embracing her mixed heritage identity, she writes of life as a youngster and where she is now after really embracing both sides of her culture.

The short album of only ten tracks opens strong with “Unstoppable”, a motivational love song that flows with a neo-soul type of fluidity and energy. “What You Don’t Do” is a retro doo-wop tune that channels the adage “Actions speak louder than words” with its message of appreciating the direction in which a romantic relationship is moving sans all the drama. “Tokyo” on the other hand is smooth and laid-back with its bass-heavy and funky chorus, reminiscent of classic mid-80s R&B. “Wonderful” shifts the album down another notch to a slow and pensive state with its layered finger snaps creating a whimsical background. “Midnight” is a soulful and radio-friendly composition that expands with her gritty rock vocals showcasing a strength not often shown in Lianne’s delivery. “Grow” keeps the energy of the album at a very steady point, starting as a folksy guitar-driven piece though the drum beat, which comes in during the chorus, takes away from its authenticity as a stringed folk song.

There are other delicate and contemplative songs on this work of art, but “Never Get Enough” is a standout that takes a surprising turn on the chorus with its pop rock mashup. Unfortunately, it seems to be trying a bit too hard in its production to be something other than what she does naturally on the verse. La Havas has mentioned that she would like to collaborate with someone who makes music that is distinctly different than her own to see what would happen as a result of the two worlds meeting. While Blood is so-so in its attempt for Lianne to try something new, I’d like to hope the goal of future collaborations, songwriter- or production-wise, will work out very nicely for a bit more variety moving forward.

 
Written by Mai Perkins

Originally from Los Angeles, Mai Perkins is living a genuine bona fide love affair with NYC and the music that keeps its spirit moving. While spending the majority of the last decade in Brooklyn, many of her adventures around the globe are documented on her blog: Mai On The Move! www.MaiOnTheMove.com

 
Author’s rating for Blood

Pop Magazine’s official rating for Blood

Rating key
MASTERPIECE a must-have
SUPERB for heavy rotation
EXCELLENT a great achievement
VERY GOOD a respectable result
GOOD worth checking out
FAIR an average outcome
WEAK not convincing stuff
BAD an underwhelming effort
VERY BAD quite a waste
FAIL a total failure