Even in the midst of slippery, unpredictable production, voice has always been the most undeniable force in her music. The English artist’s melodic inclinations are front and center on her early alt-R&B and soul albums, 2016’s and 2019’s , and collaborations, like her stunning 2021 album with , . On Lowe’s third solo studio album, , she channels the raw immediacy of into even bolder explorations.
While Rosie will always wow with the sheer beauty of her voice, here, perhaps for the first time, she’s crafted an album that rides off the strength of its sterling, restless, and inventive production. conveys a sense of emotional directness in its lyrics. Lowe is at times confident, braggadocious, and completely convinced that she is .
Elsewhere, though—oftentimes immediately after these uplifting moments—Lowe retreats into a shell, unsure of her worth, purpose, and relationship to others. On “Mood to Make Love,” Lowe tantalizingly croons over a perfectly dusty bassline and barely-there percussion, singing, “Bet you never met a girl like me/Never knew how tough I’d be/Walked out the sea dripping gold.” It’s on that last word that Lowe throws in a number of vocal layers, giving the proclamation a shimmering spotlight.
On the very next track, “In My Head,” the drums are grooving and the bassline recalls the soul-funk of fellow UK chameleons . Lowe, however, is decidedly less grounded than moments before: “I was in my head/Couldn't get it out/Be such a s.