Lianne La Havas - Blood
Critic Score
Based on 19 reviews
2015 Ratings: #469 / 1021
User Score
Based on 358 ratings
2015 Rank: #137
Liked by 40 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

83
Entertainment Weekly
On her latest album, she separates herself from the pack. The 10-track set draws on her Jamaican and Greek ancestry by combining easygoing beach vibes with lyrical allusions to mythology.
80
Drowned in Sound

Although Blood only features ten predominantly short songs, the myriad flashes of brilliance render the album’s brevity irrelevant.

80
FLOOD Magazine
What cannot be emphasized enough is the natural grace and elegance of her singing, especially in stark contrast to the insufferable over-modulating of so many nu-gen R&B vocalists.
80
The Needle Drop
Singer-songwriter Lianne La Havas drops a mature, lyrically sound followup to her breakout debut.
80
Exclaim!
More than anything, she's now proven she's able to step out from behind the guitar and deliver great songs without a care for genre margins.
80
DIY
Occupying a sonic space between old-school jazz and the newest of inspirations, La Havas is able to cherry pick the sweetest sounds from her musical DNA.
80
AllMusic
La Havas goes for a bigger, bolder, more produced sound without glossing over her singer/songwriter/guitarist origin.
80
PopMatters
The steps forward here are borderline transcendent for an artist who once appeared to have no problem fading into the back, blending in with the noises and the pain around her.
77
Pitchfork

Whereas Is Your Love Big Enough? looks outward for validation, Blood is dynamic and poignantly self-assured in its introspection.

75
Consequence of Sound

Blood lets her edge away from safety, and it wouldn’t be surprising if her next move takes an even sharper turn.

70
The Line of Best Fit
Her music has definitely progressed, and she's found a deeper, broader sound. It is somehow stuck, however. All the component parts seem present, but they don’t quite add up to a greater whole.
70
Rolling Stone
On her second album, she still strums and fingerpicks like an alt-folkie, but that new sound you hear is bass, and plenty of it.
70
musicOMH
Big isn’t always better, but it tends towards triumph here.
60
Clash

Lianne La Havas has grown up, branched out, written some devastatingly honest songs, and presented a highly competent album.

CJay
80

Unlike Lianne's self-titled album, which was more acoustic and had heavy drums, Blood has more of a pop appeal. However, Blood isn't just a basic pop album with overdramatic choruses and cliche lyrics. Instead, Blood still has those vulnerable and bittersweet lyrics that were present on Lianne's self-titled album. Not only that, but the production on this album is amazing. While it does have that pop element to it, most of that pop is covered with some beautiful soul elements, along with those ... read more

emcee119
68

Lianne La Havas sounds incredible on this project. Her alto is silky smooth and she demonstrates a superb control over her voice, easily being the highlight of every song. She shows nice versatility as well, delivering over ballads as well as more uptempo songs like “Midnight.” I’m a little held back on my excitement for this album by some of the production choices that limit just how great it could have been. The horns on “Midnight” have a nice part to them, but ... read more

MAN
60

She's always been a quality artist. This proves it definitely.

ridofme1993_
85

I don't know what I've been doing not listening to this for about 6 years. This album is beautifully written and performed, and still sounds fresh almost a decade later. The music is interesting, cohesive and timeless - combining elements of soul, jazz, doo-wop, trip hop and rock, whilst still allowing Lianne's impeccable voice to take centre stage. I've fallen back in love with this album and look forward to listening to her others.

iamcvalda
78

Great

Davidfrangipane
85

A great album by the talented Lianne La Havas, very well done. It has an excellent production of pop soul, neo soul and folk that is very well done and consistent between each song on the album, each song has a special touch that makes it feel unique from one another. Maybe the pace was a little slow towards the end but it's still a good album in every aspect.

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Track List

1Unstoppable
5:30
94
2Green & Gold
4:38
94
3What You Don't Do
3:40
73
4Tokyo
4:29
91
5Wonderful
4:17
63
6Midnight
3:30
96
7Grow
3:39
90
8Ghost
3:43
58
9Never Get Enough
3:22
60
10Good Goodbye
3:49
92
Total Length: 40 minutes
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Added on: April 24, 2015