Emeli Sandé - Our Version of Events

For the second year in a row a successful songwriter has won the BRITS' Critics Choice Award. Following on from Jessie J, who already had a glimpse of fame for writing Miley Cyrus' excellent Party in the U.S.A. (admittedly the 'success' might not be so memorable for Sandé (Devlin, Tinchy Stryder and Alesha Dixon singles)), there's a worrying predictability about their recognition of new artistry. Especially when new acts such as Mumford and Sons, Plan B or Ed Sheeran are ignored in a so-far 100% solo female "she'll look pretty stood on the stage accepting it" environment. I'll move on before I get too bitter.

Sandé, an Aberdeenshire singer with Zambian heritage, had to change her real name (Adele) thanks to a certain fellow Brit winner. So let's hope her album, which has already spent 2 weeks at #1, doesn't turn into an inescapable battalion like 21 did (although if it's anywhere near as good, maybe we could forgive her).


Beginning then with the already-hit single 'Heaven', Sandé immediately sets her sights on the Katy B audience with an urban-dance stomper that showcases some rather impressive belting vocals. It might be a little lacking in the lyrical department but I very much doubt that was the centre of attention behind the production - which has made one of 2011's biggest hits. The fact that she's written on Leona Lewis' upcoming third album comes as no surprise when noting the vocal lilts and tones on 'My Kind of Love', a subtle trip-hop backing doing little more than background noise behind Sandé's cries of "You never thought that it could ever get this tough". Solid and self-indulgent it certainly follows in Adele's footsteps with the addition of strings and heaps of misery. Nursery tunes on 'Where I Sleep' and another blink-and-you'll-miss-it beat give the worrying impression that all dance tunes have halted with 'Heaven'. Her Hometown Glory, she smiles "this is where I'm home" without anything in the way of longlasting interest.

Assumedly the song she wrote for Lewis, 'Mountains' gently swans around with strings and restrained vocals to pleasant effect without the obligatory shattering pitch-change (which leads me to doubt it's the same song written for Leona). Morose piano chords appear on 'Clown', which again demonstrates nice vocals at the expense of interesting lyrics. 'Daddy', the other hit-single, blatantly steals from the melody of Madonna's Frozen which is fine if you haven't an enduring memory. 'Maybe' touches upon the scant-touched upon, a hypothesis on relationships, set to a backdrop intended for John Lewis adverts and on-hold music. Mr. Sandé is leaving in 'Suitcase', which is sad and stuff :(

You'd hope a song title like 'Breaking the Law' might restart some overall sense of enthusiasm about the album but the result is a catatonic boredom not seen since I reviewed Ed Sheeran's +. 'Next to Me' sort-of makes up for that with a fine pop melody but it can't help but feel out of place in this sea of limp half-ballads. As if to illustrate my point, 'River' reinstates the melancholy piano tune with some vague claims of "follow me, I'll be your river, I'll move the mountains for you" and other such Hallmark-card sleeping pills. A BEAT SURFACES on 'Lifetime'. But it's a boring one. 'Hope' could not be a more self-indulgent whiney sack of shit. And then there's 'Read All About It (Part III)' which does the double-whammy of "being worse than the version with Professor Green" and "using an obnoxious title" (there was no "Part II").


If she's spent a little more time trying to hone the whole Katy B sound (without sounding too much of a parody, which I suspect was her fear) then this could be a far less forgettable album. Too much time is instead spent on languid ballads that have neither soul nor tune.

Rating: 4.5/10
Highlights: Heaven, Next to Me, Mountains
Avoid: Hope, Daddy, Where I Sleep, Maybe

Artwork Watch: Well she managed to wear something somehow more absurd than her hairstyle so fair play to the girl for that.
For fans of: Katy B, Leona Lewis, Ms. Dynamite