Our Version Of Events

AlbumFeb 13 / 201217 songs, 1h 4m 12s
Pop Soul Contemporary R&B Neo-Soul
Popular

Groomed for stardom by the U.K. press, Scottish songstress and singer Emeli Sandé has cut a debut album that surpasses all the next-big-thing buzz. Influenced by Massive Attack, Joni Mitchell, and Nina Simone, *Our Vision of Events* starts strong with “Heaven,” a \'90s-style track that features Sandé singing soulfully over crisp, loose beats that sound straight out of Stone Roses–era Manchester. (Imagine Soho’s 1990 hit “Hippy Chick” with a stronger backbone.) “My Kind of Love” recalls bygone diva drama, with heartfelt wailing over a cinematic backdrop of minor piano chords, muted dance beats, and what sounds like a distant gospel choir. Even in the more somber and sullen ballads, like “Mountains,” Sandé sings with a phrasing that’s bustling with transcendent energy. Chiming bells, sweeping string arrangements, and other classic soul accouterments help give “Daddy” a Phil Spector (by way of Amy Winehouse) feel, but guest producer Naughty Boy helps keep things sounding fresh. Rather than go out with a bang, the set closes with the poignant piano ballad \"Hope.\"

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In 2012, Brit's Critic Choice Award, a best new artist prize for the United Kingdom's best talent, unsurprisingly went to Emeli Sandé, a woman being lauded for her crystalline voice and her immaculate songwriting skills.

<p>Songwriter-turned-singer Emeli Sandé's new album is regrettably bland, writes <strong>Kitty Empire</strong>. If only she'd never met Simon Cowell…</p>

7 / 10

More than a few U.

<strong>Alexis Petridis</strong>: Simon Cowell loves her – but don't let that put you&nbsp;off. Emeli's Sande's debut is a good, if incomplete, display of&nbsp;her talents

2.5 / 5

Emeli Sandé's new album Our Version of Events is a hugely impressive introduction to a dynamic, arresting talent, writes James Lachno.

Our Verson of Events Virgin ***

This year's Next Big Thing makes a sporadically impressive debut. Album review by Graeme Thomson