Emeli Sande - How Were We To Know

by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 5 / 12 / 2023

Label: Chrysalis
Format: CD

intro

Strong comeback album from Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sande

After singing ‘Abide With Me’ before a TV audience of 900 million at the London Olympics and seeing her 2012 debut album ‘Our Version Of Events’ become that year's biggest seller, Scottish singer Emeli Sande has faded from view a bit. All the initial overexposure plus her natural shyness and the stress of going through a painful divorce didn't help. But last year she started to get back on track with her ‘Let's Say For Instance’ album - mainly about resilience and renewal - and she now seems at her best again with her latest fifth release, ‘How Were We To Know’. This is an unashamedly romantic album touching on dance, reggae and gospel-tinged soul – and with many really catchy pop-style tracks for fans to enjoy. In the past, prior to becoming a solo artist, Sande used to write music for Alesha Dixon, Cheryl Cole and Professor Green – and this new album reaffirms her fine credentials as a very capable singer-songwriter. On /All This Love’ she sings of unrequited feelings whilst ‘My Boy Likes To Party’ is a strong dance number about the perils of dating a no-good guy. ‘Lighthous’ is a nice reggae dance-hall number where Sande sings beautifully just as she does on powerful gospel number ‘Love’ which also showcases her innovative piano work. And on ‘There For You’, a Whitney Houston-style power ballad featuring an impressive sax solo, 1980s-style synths and booming drums, Emeli Sande demonstrates her willingness to try something different and fresh. She pulls this off brilliantly; her performance is stunning! ‘How Were We To Know’ is a really strong album – confirmation of a talent rejuvenated!

Track Listing:-

1 ALL THIS LOVE
2 MY BOY LIKES TO PARTY
3 LIGHTHOUSE
4 HOW WERE WE TO KNOW
5 TOO MUCH
6 NOTHING WE CAN'T HANDLE
7 LIKE I LOVED YOU
8 THERE FOR YOU
9 TRUE COLOURS
10 END OF TIME
11 LOVE

Band Links:-

https://emelisande.com/
https://hatebeak.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/emelisande

Play in YouTube:-

Have a Listen:-

interviews

Interview (2023)

Nick Dent-Robinson speaks to Brit Award winning Scottish-raised singer-songwriter Emeli Sande before her performance at the Nocturne Live festival about her love of jazz and charity work.