On her luscious, enlightening sophomore album, British soul pop’s brightest spark steps into stardom. Romantic and thoughtful, Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving gives far more than it takes.
Before Lola Young had the UK industry on its knees with her raw and raucous interpretation of the word “Messy”, Olivia Dean had put her own seminal stamp on the phrase. More prim-and-proper than Young’s soaring imperfections, the soft, woozy debut album from Dean placed her within the biggest pop-tinted conversations, well on the way to the grandest stages and highest echelons of the charts as one of London’s most promising newcomers.
It was a successful, albeit safe, first full-bodied artistic era. What has followed, though – now cultivated in The Art of Loving, a sensational sophomore LP – is far bolder, braver and significant.
The period between her debut album and its follow-up was bountiful for Dean – support slots for huge Sabrina Carpenter and Sam Fender shows respectively, a fabulous turn on Ezra Collective’s BRIT Award-winning record, and an original song on the Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy soundtrack. And as soon as “Nice To Each Other”, the first single of this new body of work, swooned into the listening sphere, there was the undeniable feeling that it was only a matter of time until Dean would dominate UK pop.
Fast forward a few months, and The Art of Loving, out now via Capitol Records, lives up to the hype. There’s a timelessness to the homage-fuelled work, simultaneously imbued with a classic 70s resonance and fresh modern vibrancy. Nostalgic but never overtly sentimental. Effortless but razor sharp.
Dean sings and writes better than ever before. With Zach Nahome at the production helm – whose credits include Loyle Carner, Justin Bieber, and PinkPantheress – the singer-songwriter shines atop gently groovy and emotionally-charged soul and stripped-down acoustic palettes, exploring the full spectrum of love: the desirable and the tender, the romantic and the platonic.
There’s a familiarity to Dean’s measured, empathetic writing and her controlled, colourful voice. She’s a shoulder to lean on, a friend to rely on, a storyteller of depth who never allows herself to be bogged down. The Art of Loving is exactly as the title defines – a creative and compelling depiction of the most complex emotions.
Listen to the album…
Words – Ben Tibbits
