aaamusic | On 09, Apr 2012

Paloma Faith is a jazzy singer-songwriter who, if you have not heard of, I would be surprised. (And I would envy your wonderful ability to ignore what’s going on in the media). She’s performed at the BRIT Awards, been nominated for ‘best female solo artist’ and become pretty well known since her career began around 2008. Her debut album, Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?, reached number nine in the UK album charts and she’s toured in France and Germany as well as the UK. It is therefore clear that Paloma is far from an unknown entity in the world of music.

Paloma’s new album, Fall to Grace, is set for release on the 28th of May and is bursting with all of her usual flair. There’s something very retro and glamorous about Paloma Faith which makes her rather interesting. She has a pretty snazzy image which extends itself into her music.

Thirty-Minute Love Affair is a typical lamented love ballad. Paloma has a melodic and powerful voice; her music has distinct soul and jazz elements. Those elements mixed with intimate piano and catchy, yet relatable, lyrics makes for some nice jazzy pop.
‘When I went back he had disappeared, my hopeful smile had turned to tears – let down.’
The ability to write relatable lyrics is a strength of Paloma’s and Thirty-Minute Love Affair is a great example of this. It does feel as though Paloma has found a perfect target audience in thirty-something female singletons.

Picking Up the Pieces will be the first single (released on the 20th of May) from the new album. Unfortunately one of Paloma’s major pitfalls is the repetitive nature of her songs in terms of theme. Picking Up the Pieces feels very similar to Thirty-Minute Love Affair, it’s again a lament of a past relationship. Sure, it’s catchy and well-produced with relatable lyrics, but it feels like the album’s going to be a bit samey in terms of theme. Additionally, the beginning of the song sounds oddly like Pure Imagination from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Unfortunately for Paloma, Pure Imagination is also a much better song.

Just Be (Demo) sounds particularly retro. Her voice is fairly reminiscent of Amy Winehouse, Adele and Duffy in particular. She probably has appeal to fans of soul and soft jazz infused pop. Just Be (Demo) feels very similar to the past few songs, the topic again being relationship-related. However, there’s something almost gospel-esque about this one; the song feels very intimate and her voice melts nicely against the jazzy piano.

Fall to Grace looks as though it’s going to be a fairly samey album in terms of the theme of the songs. It does, however, look as though it’s going to be the perfect break-up album, which will certainly work for some people. If you’re someone who likes a bit more variety in song theme and lyrics with a deeper meaning, this may not be the album for you. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a piece of catchy jazz-infused pop then look no further. Fall to Grace will not be to everyone’s tastes but it certainly has its place in the current mainstream music scene. This is sure to be a chart topper.

★★★★★

Rose Benge