Landon Buford
GRAMMY® Award-nominated British singer/songwriter/guitarist Lianne La Havas will release her self-titled album on July 17 via Nonesuch Records, pre-order it here. It’s her first album since 2015’s critically acclaimed Blood, and it features previously released tracks “Bittersweet” and “Paper Thin,” garnering praise from TIME, Pitchfork, Refinery29, and more. The new single “Can’t Fight” is available today and a precursor for what’s to come. Produced and co-written by Mura Masa, the contemporary R&B classic is filled with soulful melodies, rhythmic syllables, and moody guitar as Lianne sings about a love that no longer serves her. La Havas recently performed songs from her forthcoming album on NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, which has received nearly 600,000 views on YouTube since premiering May 5. Listen/share “Can’t Fight” here.
La Havas explains of the song, “‘Can’t Fight’ is that feeling of, you know it’s not good, but you can’t not do it. People say if you’re having a hard time in a relationship, just leave. It’s so easy to say, but it’s so much more complicated than that. Because there’s two of you, and neither of you are perfect. And there are things that you’re learning along the way. You think, ‘Well, let me do a little bit of work and just see if we can get that feeling back—it’s possible because we do really love each other.’ I guess at the time, I was convinced that yes, it’s hard, but we can get through this.” The ten songs on Lianne La Havas—nine originals plus a cover of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes”—span the arc of a love affair, one that brought growth and newfound confidence. “This is my first completely self-produced album with my own band. I got my own way with everything—all the decisions that you hear on this album were mine,” she says. “I’m a woman now, so I’m less shy and timid about saying certain things. And there’s no right or wrong when it’s your record, so I was very much embracing that fact, as well.”
Lianne La Havas Tracklist
1. Bittersweet 2. Read My Mind 3. Green Papaya 4. Can’t Fight 5. Paper Thin 6. Out of Your Mind (Interlude)7.Weird Fishes 8. Please Don’t Make Me Cry 9. Seven Times 10.Courage 11. Sour Flower.
Lianne La Havas Blood was nominated for a GRAMMY® Award for “Best Urban Contemporary Album.” It received tremendous critical praise, with the New York Times saying, “There are cross-currents of rhythm and harmony, of melancholy and bliss, of romance and self-determination, of playfulness and purpose. But what comes across first is the sheer grace of her voice. It can be a breathy purr, a lilting tease, a liquid confession or a torchy declaration.” Pigeons and Planes said, “In the modern world of artificial pop and electronically charged hits, Lianne La Havas brings life. Combining jazzy chord progressions, funky bass lines, and sweet, soulful vocals, (she) makes the kind of music that transcends current fads.”
Her debut album, Is Your Love Big Enough? (2012), received similar acclaim, with The Associated Press calling it “not just one of the year’s best debuts, but one of the year’s best albums.” Among her many other accolades, La Havas has been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, the Ivor Novello, Brits, and MOBOs.
La Havas has in recent years supported Coldplay on an international stadium tour, headlined Brixton Academy, and played the Afropunk Festival in New York. In addition, she and her band played London’s Barbican alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Jules Buckley in February; a video of their performance of “Bittersweet” may be seen here.
