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Review: Delilah - From The Roots Up [Album]

Atlantic // "An immensely captivating debut album"

by NyW, August 5th, 2012 and has been Read 1213 times.
Last Edited by: Ffion Davies August 6th, 2012.

Delilah first emerged on the music scene in a big way last year with her debut single 'Go', a reworking of Rufus and Chaka Khan's 'Aint Nobody' that Chaka herself hailed as genius. Prince is also a fan, calling her up to personally invite her to support him on tour. So, clearly Delilah has fans in high places but does her debut album ‘from the roots up’ live up to the hype? In a word yes.

WATCH // 'Go'

The album opener ‘Never Be Another’ will be familiar to those who have her mixtape 2-4am released earlier this year. It is a sure fire hit and a crowd pleaser during her live shows. Delilah uses her stunning voice to great effect on the most recent single ‘Inside my Love’, a cover of Minnie Ripperton's highly suggestive 1975 track which she updates with a more modern feel without losing any of the sensual energy of the original. This a moody atmospheric record which is most evident on songs like I can feel you. It has a dark thumping base line that marries her sleek voice perfectly drawing the listener in, making it one of the albums many standout tracks.

WATCH // 'Inside my Love'

Her voice switches easily to soft and girly then soars up to dizzying heights and breath-taking lows across ‘from the roots up’ 15 stunning tracks (on the deluxe edition) against a backdrop of tribal drums trip hop elements jazzy piano and gloomy electro beats that all come together to make up an immensely captivating debut album.

The disjointed guitar riff that undercuts ‘So Irate’ makes it another highlight. Delilah shows off her vocal dexterity without resorting to forced histrionics she keeps it simple with some gentle pulsating percussion giving the track some extra bounce. Another focal point of the album is her lyrical ability, shown best on tracks like ‘Cinnababy’ and ‘Love You So’. The former is an intriguing beautiful ballad written at the tender age of 14. ‘Love You So’ begins with a faintly spoken French intro and the track deals with heartbreak without stepping into cliché territory thanks to its self-aware lyrics like “Cause you own a lifetime of woes, but they ain't mine and you sold my lifeline so I'm blue when the bell chimes” that display an impressive maturity.

While there are a wealth of female singers that have been hotly tipped recently, Delilah sets herself apart by crafting an effortlessly versatile and refreshing record. Her unique voice and phrasing is an uplifting change from the generic dance and watered down R'n'B that is so prevalent in the charts right now her raw talent shines through on every track and with such an impressive debut under her belt Delilah looks set for greatness.

Tracks to look out for:

• Never Be Another
• I Can Feel You
• Cinnababy
• Breathe
• Go
• Inside My Love