A lot happened to U.K. singer/songwriter Lucy Rose after releasing the quietly poignant No Words Left in 2019. Having toured relentlessly since her late teens, she both welcomed and was forced to take a break from music while much of the world sheltered from COVID-19 throughout 2020. Still on hiatus, she welcomed her first child in mid-2021. After experiencing worsening, then debilitating back pain in the weeks to follow, she was eventually diagnosed with a rare form of pregnancy-induced osteoporosis that had resulted in multiple fractured vertebrae. Making music was hardly on her mind as she sought treatment, finally finding success with hydrotherapy that allowed her to move freely and lift her child again. With time, she sat down at the piano -- for five minutes or so, long enough for a song -- which was enough to get her writing again. In 2023, Rose accepted an offer from Paul Weller to book some time at his studio in Surrey; in the meantime, she accepted a different offer to fly to New York to work with rapper/producer Logic. From Logic, she took the concept of "open creativity" -- a philosophy of both involving and trusting those around you in the recording process -- into her Surrey sessions with producer Kwes. (Sampha, Solange). Although admittedly well-rehearsed before entering the studio, this resulted in the more immediate, jazzy spirit of This Aint the Way You Go Out, which they began by laying down six songs live in a single day. Perhaps against expectations knowing her backstory, the track list opens with the bright, animated "Light as Grass," a warm, 1970s-evoking, piano-based song thats somewhat representative of the rest of the album. Alongside softly delivered lines like "Come find me in discomfort" and "It cant be this hard all the time," the pianos bass-clef part is doubled by bass and joined by skittering drums before the songs lusher, spacey chorus refers to people floating and falling. Next up is the even brisker and more syncopated "Could You Help Me." Seasoned with modern production techniques and club jazz as well as 70s singer/songwriter influences, This Aint the Way You Go Out goes on to surprise not only with its lively accompaniment on the more fully arranged songs, including the first of two instrumental interludes, but with digressions toward trip-hop on songs like "Whatever You Want" and "The Racket." Rose is arguably still at her best on the more intimate balladry, such as on album highlights "Dusty Frames," with its rippled, watery effects, and the brittlely resilient title track. Nothing here, though, is a misfire, as Rose deftly navigates these new approaches. ~ Marcy Donelson

Rovi