Sigma - Coming Home (Featuring Rita Ora)

Sigma blew up the charts when they hit number one with 'Nobody to Love' in the spring of 2014. The song went on to become a summer anthem and then they got hold of Paloma Faith, stuck her incredible vocals atop 'Changing' and BOOM, had themselves a second consecutive chart topper. Since then they've collaborated with 'Earthquake' hitmaker Labrynth and Xfactor contestant Ella Henderson, but now it seems they've got the top spot in their sights once more with new single 'Coming Home', featuring vocals from talent show judge adulteress and occasional song releaser Rita Ora.

Ora's donated her vocals (she's probably paid very handsomely) to the likes of Iggy Azalea, DJ Fresh, and Charlie XCX in the past with great results. Coming Home is no different. It's a heady, escalating Drum & Bass - pop concoction with a sweet sentiment and Ora's vocals are emotive, emotional and convincing throughout. The song really comes into its own on the chorus, easily identifiable as a Sigma arrangement with Ora's voice layered atop a choir (or lots of very good backing singers) as the beat drives you upward into space. Very good stuff.

5/5

Sigma - Changing (feat. Paloma Faith) Review

It's summer and thus it's the season of obligatory dance smashes. Sigma seemed to pop out of nowhere with their debut single Nobody To Love which was and still is, amazing. It set the tone for the sunny months perfectly with its epic arrangement of piano keys and d&b synths, plus the strong vocals by Daniel Pearce. Now they're back with second single and potential number one number two, Changing featuring Paloma Faith. Her vocals suit the dance production perfectly, overflowing with a 90s dance, soul sound. It's refreshing to hear her on a track like this and coupled with Sigma's production, identifiable after only one single, it makes for one hell of a summer anthem with an huge chorus.

5/5

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 Fall To Grace: First Listen

I've been girding my loins for the new Paloma Faith album for weeks and in 10 days it will drop into my lap and I'll be floating along to it for hours on end. This morning I discovered the album sampler is available online and so, naturally, I got listening and putting pen to paper. On first impressions this is a strong collection of songs, with Paloma's voice on top form and the production never threatens to drown her out. I notice a lack of the potent retro feel of her debut Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful? with its vintage inspired songs 'Upside Down', 'Smoke & Mirrors' and 'Broken Doll'. However, that said, this slight change/evolution in her sound is a clear sign of artistic progression. I guess we'll have to wait and see for sure when the album-full is released on 28 May.

Picking Up The Pieces
A lovely 'oomph' filled orchestral ballad about a crumbling relationship. See my review here.

30 Minute Love Affair
"30 minute love affair/All in the blink of an eye/There you were standing there..."she sings over an uplifting array of pleasant 80s synths. This is a bouncy poppy number that sounds unlike anything she's recorded before.


Black & Blue
One of the stronger ballads on the album, with stunning vocals on the massive chorus that wouldn't have seemed out of place on her debut album.


Just Be
A stripped back ballad, with some unusually restrained vocals from Paloma laced over the top of a gorgeous piano.


Let Me Down Easy
A fantastic sounding mid-down tempo song with a throbbing synth beat and a haunting metallic riff. This is electronic soul at its best.


Blood, Sweat & Tears
This sounds a bit like it was written by Sam Sparro and The Scissor Sisters. A electronic-disco infused pop song, this is a grower.


Beauty of the End
This sounds a bit like a bonus track from her first album. Lovely 'oooohh aaaahh' backing the chorus and Paloma's soulful voice.


When You're Gone
The first thing I thought of when I heard this was James Blake's album. It's no where near as wonderfully weird as that, but it has a faint throb in the background that sounds like he might have had a hand in its production.


Agony
A stronger uptempo track to 'Blood, Sweat & Tears'. "This is agony but it's still a thrill for me..." she belts out on a less bouncy, more orchestral pop song.


Let Your Love Walk In
Again, another ballad with lovely vocals. By this point I'd gotten a bit confused by which ballad was what. This is probably just because I've only had access to 1 minute clips of each, making it harder to absorb each one. Sounds good, potentially not as strong as the others though.


Freedom
One of my favourites. Starting off in lounge ballad form over a piano this song unexpectedly bursts into an exhilarating mid tempo chorus with light synths and an infectious beat.


Streets of Glory
The album closes with a ballad, showcasing just why this singer deserves some more recognition for her talent. It's a ghostly song with a sumptuous strings section and a thumping beat.

On first listen Fall To Grace sounds like it's brimming with artistic promise. There are some truly beautiful musical moments here in the form of 'Picking Up the Pieces', 'Just Be' and the epic 'Freedom'. I have some concern that the ballads might be a little samey, but I will reserve this criticism for when I've heard the full album in all its glory. Right now, I'm pretty confident this is going to be a joyride.

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

Rated Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful?

God?

This is a very delayed review of Paloma Faith's debut album, Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? The reason being, well I don't have one, but here it is now. With a soulful, classic vocal and authentic production, Paloma's debut is one of the triumphs of the last year. Amidst a sea of synthesised electro-pop sheep, she stands out like an uber-talented ginger thumb! 

From the epic opener 'Stone Cold Sober', Paloma is explicitly branding her style into our mind. Full of trumpets and not a synth in earshot, this album commences on a top note and is a gale force breath of fresh air. Her voice, not conventionally 'huge', but full of energy and passion, brings the intelligent lyricism of her debut single to life. The pace is kept high with 'Smoke and Mirrors', which is just as epic as her debut. "Now we're through, the show is over, the audience is walking out the room", she belts out as she compliments the end of a failing relationship. Things slow down a bit with 'Broken Doll'. A charming ballad about post-breakup repair, the song doesn't quite keep up to the standard of its predecessors. The title track is a beautiful, lyrical masterpiece, "The Prophet took my hand on all souls day, he preached the value of deception, changing shadows by a shapeshifter's rules, tales are never just for fools...". With a memorable melody and stunning vocals, this song should be an enormous success if sales reflect talent. 'Upside Down' continues the 50s dance-hall vibe of the album with its bouncing beat and Paloma's soulful crooning. 'Romance is Dead' is yet more fantastically original, intelligent lyricism, "a rose is blue and violet's red, say it isn't true don't tell me romance is dead". The biggest moment on this album is the megaton ballad 'New York'. Containing a wonderfully catchy chorus and gorgeous melodies, this song is the highlight of the entire collection. The final three songs of the album, 'Stargazer', 'My Legs Are Weak' and 'Play On' bolster the 50s sound further, establishing Paloma's soulful, vintage identity.

This is a brilliant debut from a British female artist, something we've been needing for some time. Some intensely stunning lyrics and vocal performances, DYWTTOSB? is a stellar first outing for this rather odd woman. She may seem like a bit of a weirdo in interviews, but once you absorb this album you'll merge the two experiences and come out with something almost perfect. Paloma Faith is the nicotine patch to the synth obessed music scene that's swallowing the charts whole at the moment. I just hope that she really takes off, because one more album like this could never be a bad thing.


4/5