Paloma Faith - A Perfect Contradiction

Can't Rely On You sounded a lot like Blurred Lines, right? It was a welcome similarity and in some ways an improvement on the misogynistic (yet extremely enjoyable) piece of contemporary r&b from Pharrell and Robin Thicke. Faith's song suffered from the bug of repetition though and at points it didn't feel entirely genuine or as authentically soulful as she may have intended. Her third album A Perfect Contradiction is more upbeat than her past endeavours, but does it show that she's mastering her craft?

It's not only Pharrell she has passing hands over her studio knobs. Faith has also roped in Raphael Saadiq, an incredible soul artist in his own right. Mouth to Mouth is a solid track with a great chorus backed by a brilliant arrangement of soulful harmonies, piano keys and horns. Mr Hudson track Take Me amps up the sass, with Faith demanding her lover to "take me, take me, only you can stimulate me". Discounting the lead single, this is the strongest and most memorable of the uptempo portion of the album. However the spoken lines in the middle are let down by some dodgy lyricism about frequent flyer points. It certainly a track you'd want to dance to in a Jazz/Soul bar though. 

Faith is no stranger to a ballad. They kick off with Only Love Can Hurt Like This, a Diane Warren penned track which serves as single number two. It's a decent piece of balladry, with memorable production and a simple yet effective chorus. There's something lacking in Faith's performance though which results in the high notes in the finale being more grating than emotional. This unpleasantry is repeated on 60s cover The Bigger You Love (The Harder You Fall). The nostalgic Taste My Own Tears contains echoes of classic soul & motown (think The Supremes). It's instantly likeable for this very reason and Faith's vocals are stellar. 

Rated Fall To Grace - The Review

I read a comment today on another review of Paloma Faith's sophomore album that read, 'Paloma seems nice and cute but her music is rubbish'. Aside from the comment lacking in intelligently worded criticism, I found it completely bewildering. Paloma's styling might not be to everyone's taste, but there's no denying she's a fine song writer with an impressive set of distinct sounding pipes. New album Fall To Grace is an impressive collection of pop songs, retaining some of the vintage vibe of her debut but moving forward far enough to stand on its own two feet as something fresh and invigorating.

Lead single 'Picking Up The Pieces' is a glorious, orchestral, midtempo ballad with a gorgeous chorus and '30 Minute Love Affair' continues this quality with its 80s inspired beats and bouncing chorus. The album has plenty of balladry on offer, the likes of 'Black and Blue' and 'Just Be' being top showcases of Paloma's beautiful voice. 'Let Me Down Easy' is one of the strongest moments on the album with its haunting retro synths and Paloma's raspy yet creamy vocals poured over the top like some delicious dessert. 'Freedom' is the strongest track (bar the lead), kicking off in lounge piano ballad form only to burst into an exciting uptempo chorus that makes it one of the most exhilarating songs of 2012 so far. 

There are some weaker tracks. 'Beauty of the End' and 'When You're Gone' don't grab on first listen, nor second. Each has potential to be a grower but when you compare them to the more brilliant moments of the album they are overshadowed completely.

It was inevitable that this album was going to be automatically compared to Adele's 21. This is a comparison I don't quite understand as these are two completely different artists with very different sounds. 21 wasn't and still isn't a perfect album, but it's one of the best selling albums of our time. Fall To Grace is equally worthy of such recognition in the charts and from critics. It maintains some of the retro feel of her debut but songs like 'Blood Sweat & Tears' and the fantastic 'Agony' pull this album forward about 4 decades. Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful? was by no means immaculate and nor is this album, but what it lacks in perfection it makes up for in evolution. The strong tracks are really strong and the weaker songs only falter a little. As a second album this is a success and as has been proven by its chart position (debut #2) she's finally garnered the appreciation she's deserved since the beginning.

4.5/5

Rated Picking Up The Pieces

It's been a while since we heard anything from Paloma Faith, other than the odd burst of 'Upside Down' over the top of the daft Boots adverts. Her last single 'Smoke & Mirrors' didn't even threaten to ignite the charts, which is a shame because it really is a great pop song. Her debut album Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful? was a great collection of retro tinged pop songs, with elements of blues and soul entwined in well written pop craft. As her sophomore album approaches, entitled Fall To Grace, she really needed to showcase something special to ensure it makes an impact.

'Picking Up The Pieces' succeeds as a lead single. The standard structure of a song is start off small and end things big, however this doesn't follow this generic layout. Instead, the song's first chorus is huge and gets even bigger as the song reaches its crescendo. 'Now she's gone and I'm picking up the pieces' Paloma belts with her gorgeous vocal on a song about a crumbling relationship, damaged by a past love. The song is well written, well sung and most reassuringly continues the nu-vintage soul sound of her debut collection. It's nice to see she's sticking to her own style and not falling into the habits of many of her peers, jumping onto some boring dub step inspired bandwagon. I just hope this song and the upcoming album gain this brilliant artist the recognition and respect she deserves.

5/5

Listen to the song here