Lisa Stansfield is a bit of a legend really isnāt she? Over her three decades in the music industry, sheās been responsible for classic hits such as Around The World, Someday (Iām Coming Back), People Hold On, Change and In All The Right Places. Itās been a decade since she last released an album and that was 2004ās The Moment. Now sheās ready to make her return to music with her new album Seven, aptly named as itās her seventh solo studio album.
Stansfield started to tease her return last year when single Canāt Dance was released. The track retains Stansfieldās classic mix of soul and pop giving the song a throwback sound that works well in a music climate where hits such as Get Lucky by Daft Punk and Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke are topping the charts. The track is the opening number on Seven and it reintroduces you to Stansfieldās sultry, soulful and powerful voice. Thereās something so warming about Stansfieldās voice and immediately you reconnect with her eager to see what sheās going to serve up next.
Seven was written and produced with Stansfield long-time collaborator and partner Ian Devaney. The album contains 10 brand new tracks that update Stansfieldās signature sound so that it works in todayās charts. The end result is one that is varied and stunning with Stansfieldās vocals at the centre of it all. New single Carry On, which is a nod to 70s disco, is one of the standouts on the record and showcases the impressive vocal range that we know Stansfield for. The verses start off sultry before building into a catchy chorus that youāll be humming long after the track has finished.
Elsewhere on the album Stansfield strips back the instrumentation for the jazzy Why, surrounds herself with a horn section of the seductive Stupid Heart, and explores midtempo R&B on the gorgeous The Crown. Album closer Love Can marries sultry beats with Stansfieldās lower register leaving you on a moody and affecting note.
Our favourite moment on the record is ballad Conversation. Starting out as piano ballad, the track features a restrained and passionate vocal from Stansfield. We can already imagine this bringing out the goosepimples when she performs it live. The second half of the song reveals luscious strings and orchestration as Stansfieldās voice hits some serious hit notes.
Seven is a welcome return for one of the most iconic female British singers of our time. 10 years has been a long time to wait for Stansfield to return to the charts but that wait has paid off with this album. Thereās something about Stansfield as a songwriter and a vocalist that has never been emulated by any other artist and she remains one of the most distinctive artists to come out of the UK. Please donāt make us wait another 10 years Lisa, we donāt think we could bear it!