Sing To The Moon

Laura Mvula - Sing To The Moon
Critic Score
Based on 20 reviews
2013 Ratings: #362 / 1115
User Score
Based on 55 ratings
2013 Rank: #204
Liked by 6 people
March 4, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
RCA / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

85
The Line of Best Fit

Some will appreciate the record for the bursts of soul-infused pop, others will take time to grasp the tiny details and appreciate the deeper layers of Sing To The Moon – whichever angle you choose to view this album from, you can be assured that it’s a magnificent anthology of tranquil, touching and often poignant songs that act as hymns for a modern era.

80
PopMatters

There is undoubtedly a major talent on show here. The mature songwriting and arrangements testify to that.

80
The Telegraph
Arrangements are marked by clarity, one thing easing into another in a beautifully measured fashion.
80
The 405

Her vocal talent may have already demonstrated irrefutable quality, but Sing To The Moon shows songwriting nous that is light-years ahead of the new class of 2013.

80
NOW Magazine
All in all, a bewitchingly beautiful debut.
80
Exclaim!
It's a solid album from Mvula, but "beguiling potential" only begins to describe the musical authority this debut merely alludes to.
80
The Guardian

It may be Laura Mvula's fate to be pitched as yet another retro-soul singer, but there's clearly more to her than that.

74
Pitchfork

Mvula's debut is filled with visceral and musical beauty--that is its strong spot. Once she rids her work of thematic repetition and lyrical mundanity, she'll be on to something truly special. 

70
Rolling Stone
The 26-year-old Birmingham Conservatoire grad fuses jazzy melodics, pop balladry, orchestral flourishes and pleading gospel to astonishing effect — her immaculately crafted LP sounds like Jill Scott, Feist, Tune-Yards and a 1940s film score simultaneously cranking on a vintage gramophone.
70
Clash
Packing a brassy punch, the tracks still manage to twinkle elegantly, rich in harmony with hymnal touches. No doubt the singer-songwriter deserves the attention she’s been getting.
70
DIY

When Mvula is at her peak on this record there’s a vibrancy, and a beautiful eccentricity that mark her out as an artist akin to Jessie Ware, Janelle Monae and Solange.

70
SPIN
The album’s arc spans something not quite like a breakup — more of a 12-track emotional evolution with Technicolor orchestral-pop accompaniment, Mvula confronting the sad fact that there’s no fixing what’s broken, there’s no love to return to.
70
AllMusic

Although it's more admirable than it is enjoyable, Sing to the Moon marks the arrival of a unique and major talent -- one with a commanding voice seemingly from another dimension -- who should be worth watching for many years to come.

50
NME

Mvula’s keenly awaited debut record is ornate, gentle and clearly composed by someone with vast musical training. So it’s a shame that so much of it sounds lightweight and shallow.

50
musicOMH

While Mvula has a great voice and is a skilled musician, she plays it far too safe on her debut LP. 

FinalLifeline
80

Some of the most creative, interesting, risky, and invigorating jazz-smeared R&B in years. As an album, it isn't incredibly tight, and the lyricwork is very good, but not great. The song-structure is wonderful and challenging though, and Laura's voice is tremulous and beautiful. Every song is delightful and enchanting because of her voice, if nothing else. This is a bright and enjoyable work that fans of nearly any genre will be able to appreciate.

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Track List

  1. Like The Morning Dew
  2. Make Me Lovely
  3. Green Garden
  4. Can't Live With The World
  5. Is There Anybody Out There?
  6. Father, Father
  7. That's Alright
  8. She
  9. I Don't Know What The Weather Will Be
  10. Sing To The Moon
  11. Flying Without You
  12. Diamonds

Year End Lists

#16/Q Magazine
#19/MOJO
#24/eMusic
#55/musicOMH
#89/The Quietus
/NPR Music
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Added on: March 1, 2013