Album review: Laura Mvula, Sing to the Moon (RCA)

 

Andy Gill
Friday 01 March 2013 15:00 EST
Comments
Laura Mvula, Sing to the Moon (RCA)
Laura Mvula, Sing to the Moon (RCA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

While Laura Mvula deserves credit for blending her Caribbean heritage with her classical training, Sing to the Moon is far from the masterpiece some claim.

In places, it's a disastrously over-egged pudding, with Mvula's show-offy multitracked vocal harmonies and stop-start song structures crippling tracks such as “Like the Morning Dew” and “Make Me Lovely”. Favouring harp, celeste and strings with horn colouration, her arrangements are interesting rather than enjoyable: “Is There Anybody Out There?” nods to both Nina Simone and Brian Wilson, but lacks either's compelling character.

The best things here are the plaintive “Father, Father”, and “Can't Live with the World”, which profits from an intriguing Oriental cast to the arrangement.

Download: Can't Live with the World; Father, Father

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in