Beverley Knight - Last One On My Mind

Well this is a catchy bop.
Effects on the vocals but nothing she cannot pull off sounding even better live.
This feels like her biggest commercial push since 100% era and this is a solid start.
 
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Quite liked this on first listen though it ended sooner than I was expecting.
 
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I don’t like this at all. It sounds like it was written for someone like Mae Muller or Zara Larsson… those rap rhythms that people are singing in now is so annoying I don’t expect my old school singers to be doing it, and I don’t expect our Bev of all people to be adding vocal effects!

Nobody under the age of 30 is following her so I don’t know who this is aimed at. Some of the gays might like.

Meh.
 
it’s definitely stuck in my head, but yes it probably will have a shelf life for me which isn’t the case for my Bev faves. The blurb for the album does sound very positive though it does sound like she didn’t write the album for the first time due to commitments which could be the reason for what @funky is mentioning above. Hopefully she Co-wrote most of them but doesn’t sound like it.

Beverley explains; “My new album covers the kaleidoscope of my soul influences from disco, R&B, funk, gospel through to northern soul and big ballades. Maintaining a dual career in acting meant that for the first time I stepped back from my usual songwriting to allow some of the world’s greatest songwriters to scribe my thoughts. This album is a true team effort of incredible talents for which I am truly grateful.”
 
I didn’t know we were getting a new album! I thought it was just another compilation cash in. Excited for that at least. Wish I’d gotten tickets for the tour now - they’re going for 150 quid on ticketmaster, only VIP seats left in Liverpool and Manchester
 
A-List R2

Not in her top 5 current spotify tracks yet, although her streaming numbers are bigger than I thought.
 
I like the feel of that very much, and she sounds especially good on the verses.

This doesn't seem to be on the album but it is an enjoyable reworking:

 
this is really good and much better than the first single. however why is the production so quiet? I feel like the mixing makes it feel slightly cheap. strong hooks though.
 
Yeah I really like this one, her best single in a while

I don’t really need that Prince cover - listened to it a few times because it is good, but doesn’t do anything new. But credit for actually being able to hold her own on a classic Prince track.
 
Get that marketing budget Bev! :disco:

She looks amazing. Radio 2 haven’t bitten yet but she’ll surely get support for this, maybe added this coming week.
 
the video is ridic but she's living her fantasy. song must be her best in like fifteen years? maybe since Music City Soul? major bop, perfect fit for her.
 
such a good little set list right

Although I feel the audience for the most part only knew the COVER (Not Keep this fire B) In Halli-world every one knows the transitional #9 HIT 'Come as You Are' but they just don't, especially LEICESTER who just want Nile Rogers and a sparkly time.
 
Love that ending!

Her voice as barely aged a day which is incredible considering those years of nightly performances on the west end doing very difficult songs. She’s next level.
 
The album is out, I gave it a play but was working so wasn’t paying too much attention. It seem to whizz by and is pretty uptempo.

 
Yeah I’ve only given it one listen but can’t say anything knocked me out. The September releases have been mostly disappointing.
 
I say it all the time, but I struggle to think of anybody whose talent and likability is as hampered by generally bland/rubbish material as Beverley Knight's is.

She just never seems to find material worthy of her voice.
 
Her songs take on a completely different note when she sings them live. But yes the material generally doesn't always match up to the voice.

That being said it's an over generalisation. The first album has some great early 90s R&B on there, while the award winning second album is one of the most important albums of UK Soul. It's a fantastic album, and is not in any way bland.

Once the marketing machine took over from album 3, it all began to gradually go further and further MOR, but even on Who I Am and Affirmation there are some great pop songs.

I lost interest mostly after that, although in hindsight the Music City Soul album, while totally choosing the wrong songs as singles, has some absolute corkers in it as well, namely these which are anything but bland:





Even in later years, she still lets rip every now and again:

 
The Affirmation album was curious really - it had some GORGROUS downtempo moments (Below My Radar, Under The Same Sun). But in the context of Bev, they still somehow felt like a waste - neither radio material nor making use of Bev's ridiculously powerful voice.

It was a very good album given to the wrong very good singer.

Everything else since has been worse - truly bland without any real redeeming featufes
 
Agree with @funky the first two albums are important within the UK genre and are great pieces of work. Record company interference trying to turn her into a huge money maker caused her to bland out a bit, in my opinion. However, every album does have a handful of really good songs.

You’d me mad to pass her up live if the opportunity arises. I even saw her play the Soul UK covers album live and she elevated that above and beyond.
 
Off the top of my head The Queen of Starting Over from Music City Soul was the last Beverley song that I really loved.

I gave the new album a play this morning and it seemed decent. I'll definitely return to it. The songs seem solid, though the production often feels a bit ordinary.

Bev's also on Strictly this weekend with Laura Mvula and Fleur East as part of a Tina Turner tribute performance.
 
I LOVE Queen of Starting Over and really should have been the lead single of that album. It’s not only radio friendly but she really uses her vocals, it’s the best of both worlds.

The two singles from that album were so shite. I can’t even remember what they’re called or how they go but it was such a waste given what was on that album and how amazing she sounded on it. They were so obviously and cynically tacked on for radio singles and sounded completely out of place of the rest of the album. They had no faith in her as a soul artist.
 
Shoat said:
The Affirmation album was curious really - it had some GORGROUS downtempo moments (Below My Radar, Under The Same Sun). But in the context of Bev, they still somehow felt like a waste - neither radio material nor making use of Bev's ridiculously powerful voice.

It was a very good album given to the wrong very good singer.
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Beverley's voice was made for the material on Affirmation. both of those songs you mentioned are stunning vocal performances :D

funky said:
I LOVE Queen of Starting Over and really should have been the lead single of that album. It’s not only radio friendly but she really uses her vocals, it’s the best of both worlds.

The two singles from that album were so shite. I can’t even remember what they’re called or how they go but it was such a waste given what was on that album and how amazing she sounded on it. They were so obviously and cynically tacked on for radio singles and sounded completely out of place of the rest of the album. They had no faith in her as a soul artist.
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No Man's Land was the first single and it's a Bev beauty! WTF! this thread is bad for my mental health!
 
anyway listening through this now - I don't think I ever listened to 100% so it's my first Bev album since Music City Soul. the triple punch of Cold World, Someone Else's Problem and I'm On Fire are just great.

Not Prepared For You is very much Bev does Riri's Love on the Brain, it's almost identical in fact but that's a great song so no harm done I guess :D could really use a big vocal climax though.
 
Fresh off her Record Of The Week on Radio 2, she's now Album Of The Week on Radio 2 :disco:
 
Her album performances to date - will be interesting to see how this one measures up

-- B-Funk
56 Prodigal Sista
07 Who I Am
11 Affirmation
09 The Voice - The Best Of
08 Music City Soul
17 100%
13 Soul UK
09 Soulsville
71 BK25
 
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