Stand For Myself

メロウにポップに進化したセカンド・アルバム。プロデュースはダン・オーバック！2019年発表のデビュー作『Walk Through Fire』がビンテージ・ソウル～カントリー・ソウルの傑作だった英国出身のシンガー/ソングライターYOLA。グラミー新人賞ノミネートを経たセカンド・アルバムとなる今作は、ブラック・キーズのダン・オーバックが引き続きプロデュース。前作よりはサウンドが少しだけアップデートされ、70年代ディスコ～ファンク～フィリー・ソウル味が増し、より洗練されたメロウ＆ウォーミーな肌触り。その中に、ジャケットに象徴されるようにBLMにも通じる気高さを感じる1枚。ディスコ風味な②、先行シングル③、ファンク・バラード⑧、力強さに感動する⑫など聴けば聴くほどに染みてくる名盤。（吉祥寺店：狩野）

Building on the foundation of 2019s remarkable Walk Through Fire, singer/songwriter Yola again strikes gold with Stand for Myself, a record as inviting as it is powerful. A British artist whose effortless amalgam of American roots, pop, and soul traditions has earned her heaps of praise and several Grammy nominations, Yolanda Quartey is also a first-rate songwriter with an appealing sense of humanity. Partnered again with producer Dan Auerbach and his affectionately retro Easy Eye Sound label, her songs are dressed in lush layers of vintage organs, horns, and a punchy rhythm section that recall the intersection of late-60s/early-70s soul, pop, R&B, and country. But, despite this affection for classic tones, Yola is no mere throwback; Stand for Myself is a fully present and vital collection of timely emotions and timeless arrangements. Juxtaposed against big, enveloping melodies and a hearth-like warmth are themes of isolation, social awakening, and her own reckoning with the tokenism of being a Black English woman working in predominantly white Nashville. Standout single Diamond Studded Shoes is an infectious protest rocker that absolutely crackles with the energy of its unifying message. Likewise, the gritty title track stands as a bold anthem of harnessing ones personal strength that builds to a massive, growling crescendo as Yola sings I used to be nothing like you, I used to feel nothing like you, now Im alive. There are sweeter cuts too, like the disco-inflected breakup track Dancing Away the Tears and the funky love ballad Now Youre Here, both of which represent a sonic shift away from the country-soul of her first record into something more stylistically nebulous. What is striking about Yolas music, aside from her unmistakable voice, is her effortless ability to convey joy and comfort even while tapping into heavier moods. Stand for Myself is a stunner with plenty of emotional firepower, but it can also feel soft as a wool blanket. ~ Timothy Monger

UK出身ながら2019年のデビュー作がアメリカーナ文脈でも評価されたヨラ。ふたたびダン・オーバックのもとで放ったこの2作目では、力強いヴォーカルで土臭いソウルを歌いつつ、メロウな"Dancing Away In Tears"やUKポップのエッセンスを詰め込んだという"Whatever You Want"もあり、曲と歌声の両面でロータリー・コネクション時代のミニー・リパートンを想起させる表題曲など、より多角的に主役の魅力を引き出している。
bounce (C)池谷瑛子