And Then Life Was Beautiful

Nao - And Then Life Was Beautiful
Critic Score
Based on 12 reviews
2021 Ratings: #196 / 753
User Score
Based on 221 ratings
2021 Rank: #598
Liked by 21 people
September 24, 2021 / Release Date
LP / Format
Little Tokyo, Sony / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
NME

‘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
AllMusic

While shining and untroubled moments also occur later, And Then Life Was Beautiful more often confronts a failing relationship and reckons with personal shortcomings.

80
The Line of Best Fit

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
Clash

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
The Guardian

Plenty of new albums are considering life with Covid, but few of them are as sensual and gorgeous as this.

80
The Independent

The result is a singer who sounds more intimate than ever.

80
The Observer

The Grammy-nominated Londoner takes things to the next level with this impeccably on point third album.

80
The Forty-Five

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.

75
Pitchfork
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
musicOMH

And Then Life Was Beautiful shimmers in the heat of the summer just gone, and strikes a good balance between exhortation and introspection.

60
The Arts Desk

These songs feel genuinely warm and life-affirming. Yet sometimes they lack the immediacy of her previous work.

Milosummers
75

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

HeyLeo
70

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

prets
66

. 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. ❤️

SoundX_
73

O significado de felicidade é um dos questionamentos mais antigos da raça humana. Aristóteles, um dos filósofos mais importantes da história, quando perguntado qual era o propósito da vida, disse que era atingir a felicidade. Para ele, todo homem tem o desejo de alcançar tal sentimento acima de tudo e molda suas ações visando esse objetivo, que, segundo ele, também é um sinônimo de prosperidade, riqueza e ... read more

73

Nice

Pronouner
60

There's nothing crazy good going on with this record, there are good tracks on here and its well constructed, but for me personally it's not a renaissance of R&B at all. No offense to nao, this could easily be my own bias but I think this record would absolutely drown amongst the paragon work from the early 2000s in the genre. I think nao's only real unique appeal on this album is her authentic vocals, it reminds me of Britney Spear's iconic baby voice but so much less forced. That being ... read more

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Track List

1And Then Life Was Beautiful
3:23
85
2Messy Love
3:35
86
3Glad That You're Gone
3:33
84
4Antidote
3:22
88
5Burn Out
3:19
81
6Wait
3:10
81
7Good Luck
3:04
85
8Nothing's for Sure
4:17
77
9Woman
3:11
93
10Better Friend
3:21
79
11Postcards
3:27
81
12Little Giants
4:00
82
13Amazing 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