English Rose

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:41:07
It's a testament to Connie Constance's nerve and swift artistic maturity -- and the support of her labels, Black Acre and the Universal-affiliated AMF -- that the singer and songwriter starts her first album with a compelling, faithfully bare cover of the Jam's "English Rose." From that choice onward, through a set of stylistically flexible originals made with a crew including Luke Gomm, Jim Abbiss, Dave Okumu, and Alfa Mist, Constance sounds poised yet uninhibited. She's certainly not the same artist who once felt predestined to make straightforward commercial R&B. Applying her probing lyrics and variably granular vocals to jagged and slightly sinister rockers, trap-flecked trunk rattlers, and high-grade soul-jazz throwbacks, Constance falls somewhere between King Krule and Priests as easily as she does between Jorja Smith and Khalid. At the same time, no artist to whom she's likened is quite like her. The uniqueness goes beyond her aptitude for switching and combining idioms. Take the way she uses her voice for effect in "Bad Vibes," deepening and quickening as she vents "I was in the light, you were in the dark, no more words could convince you," hitting the last consonants with the force of a heavy object tumbling down a staircase. Her voice fearlessly swings from sweet to sour, sometimes projecting the latter quality to a pungent extent, yet it always suits her words, whether she's cutting down a lover or herself. Moreover, she fully explores the versatility of "f*ck," dropping one or two in just about every scenario, most expressively so in "Bloody British Me," where she curses at herself and political inertia. Some of these songs were originally released during 2017 and 2018, but their presence on this higher-profile release is necessary. "Let Go" in particular remains Constance's best song and performance, a ballad of twisted torment that stuns. ~ Andy Kellman