The south London singer-songwriter’s sophomore LP takes different direction to her 2022’s more social and political issue-based debut The Power In Us, with a more mainstream route of stylish, smart, soaring pop, soul and R&B centred on fraught, divided, candid emotions. There are echoes of Beyoncé’s vibrant multi-vowelling to Maria Carey’s sky-reaching trills in Ajudha’s impressive vocal delivery and a lavish production layering, and clever lyrical internal monologues on relationships, insecurities, heartbreak, career dilemmas and difficult friendships, such as on Bestie Breakup. Standouts include Girl Next Door, the spiralling high vocals Lean On Me, Somebody To Love, the fizzing sugary metaphors of Candy, to the slow, simmering piano power-pop closer Crossroads. Not innovative, but a definitely a classy, clever act with a strong, dynamic voice, and in a genre richly executed, and this may well catapult her to a wider audience. Out on Virgin.
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