Emeli Sandé How Were We To Know review: The Scottish singer is back to her best with an unashamedly romantic new album, writes ADRIAN THRILLS

Emeli Sande: How Have been We To Know (Chrysalis)

Verdict: A expertise rejuvenated

Score:

Emeli Sande’s fortunes flagged within the years after her large industrial breakthrough.

Having sung Abide With Me earlier than a TV viewers of 900 million on the London Olympics and seen her debut album, Our Model Of Occasions, change into 2012’s largest vendor, the Scottish singer, then sporting a peroxide quiff, light from view.

A mix of shyness and the preliminary over-exposure did not assist, whereas she additionally went by way of a painful divorce. 

However, after releasing two underwhelming albums that lacked her outdated immediacy in 2016 and 2019, she bought again on monitor, sans quiff, on final yr’s Let’s Say For Occasion, and she or he’s at her greatest once more on How Have been We To Know. 

If Let’s Say… discovered her singing of resilience and renewal (and generally stumbling into self-help cliche), her fifth album is unashamedly romantic. 

It touches on dance, reggae and gospel-tinged soul, and Sande has additionally rediscovered her knack of writing hummable pop songs.

Earlier than changing into a solo artist, she wrote music for Alesha Dixon, Professor Inexperienced and Cheryl Cole, and she or he’s now reiterating her potential as a singer-songwriter.

On All This Love, she sings of unrequited ardour — ‘you are a little bit bit like me, a little bit Goddamn loopy’ — whereas My Boy Likes To Celebration is a dance banger in regards to the perils of relationship a ne’er-do-well. 

She sings superbly on the dancehall reggae quantity Lighthouse and gospel belter Love showcases her imaginative piano work.

Her willingness to attempt one thing recent can also be evident on There For You, a Whitney Houston-style energy ballad that includes booming drums, a woozy sax solo and Eighties-leaning synths. The feelings are schmaltzy, however the efficiency is beautiful.

The album is out at present. Emeli Sande performs London’s Union Chapel on Tuesday.