And Then Life Was Beautiful
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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
‘And Then Life Was Beautiful’ truly is a true celebration of R&B, yet – despite its nostalgic nods – Nao has still created a record that doesn’t sound like anyone else.
80
The result ... is a vibrant and affecting third album, which defies expectations with its organic message of uplift and tender reminder of the benefits of slowing down.
80
Plenty of new albums are considering life with Covid, but few of them are as sensual and gorgeous as this.
80
The result is a singer who sounds more intimate than ever.
80
Stepping back from the album, analysing the lyrics and the underlying details, allows you to fully appreciate its glory as a work of art.
80
Her unique tone continues to radiate from track to track, gliding in layers over comparatively lightweight electronic production – a marked difference from her previous two records.
80
The Grammy-nominated Londoner takes things to the next level with this impeccably on point third album.
80
While shining and untroubled moments also occur later, And Then Life Was Beautiful more often confronts a failing relationship and reckons with personal shortcomings.
75
After rediscovering her creative spark, Nao turns her organic-sounding third album into a kaleidoscopic testament to the pains and pleasures of modern love and the healing process they inspire.
70
And Then Life Was Beautiful shimmers in the heat of the summer just gone, and strikes a good balance between exhortation and introspection.
60
These songs feel genuinely warm and life-affirming. Yet sometimes they lack the immediacy of her previous work.
This album is very much in the vein of Saturn rather than For All We Know, which I preferred because of its “wonky funk” (Nao’s own words) sounds. There hasn’t been much evolution in terms of the sound world between Saturn and this, it still fits the somewhat slow synthpop and R&B profile.
When the album opens and one of the first lyrics is “2020 hit us differently”, I couldn’t keep a straight face because that’s such a corny lyric. Also the ... read more
Em seu terceiro disco, And Then Life Was Beautiful, a cantora, compositora e produtora inglesa Nao entrega a sua própria visão de felicidade. “A vida não é perfeita,” disse a artista em um comunicado de imprensa. “É isso que a vida é, e você continua vivendo. Mas, acima de tudo, você tenta entrar em um lugar de gratidão para que você possa ver a vida em toda a sua beleza”, ela completou. Trabalhando ... read more
. A música representa como Nao, e talvez todos nós, tivemos que desacelerar no ano passado. Essas músicas parecem um lembrete de como isso pode ser importante. ❤️
Bro it's beautiful. Her voice is the sweetest thing. I love her high tone, it sounds so bright and cheerful on its own, but then she constantly fills it with personality and character and emotion and on one song her full British accent. She's constantly making her voice different and unique while remaining gorgeous the whole time. The production is super nice. I love how a lot of the songs continue to progress, rather than just sitting with one beat the whole time. In many tracks the second ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | And Then Life Was Beautiful 3:23 | 85 |
| 2 | Messy Love 3:35 | 90 |
| 3 | Glad That You're Gone 3:33 | 85 |
| 4 | Antidote 3:22 feat. Adekunle Gold | 91 |
| 5 | Burn Out 3:19 | 81 |
| 6 | Wait 3:10 | 83 |
| 7 | Good Luck 3:04 feat. Lucky Daye | 85 |
| 8 | Nothing's for Sure 4:17 | 77 |
| 9 | Woman 3:11 feat. Lianne La Havas | 96 |
| 10 | Better Friend 3:21 | 80 |
| 11 | Postcards 3:27 feat. serpentwithfeet | 82 |
| 12 | Little Giants 4:00 | 85 |
| 13 | Amazing Grace 3:26 | 83 |
Total Length: 45 minutes
Year End Lists
| #29 | / | Double J |
| #46 | / | NME |
| #58 | / | Rough Trade (UK) |
| #73 | / | Albumism |
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Added on: July 29, 2021