Released: 5 March 2021
Rating: ****
As one of Britain’s most iconic voices, it’s a mystery that Gabrielle wasn’t outed the moment she sang the opening notes of Rhianna’s Diamonds on ‘The Masked Singer’.
Under the guise of Harlequin, the star fought her way to the semi-finals of the ITV show, only to be unmasked following a performance of Ava Max’s Sweet But Psycho – the one track she sang on the programme that doesn’t appear on ‘Do It Again’.
The new album, consisting of 10 cover versions and two brand new cuts, is Gabrielle’s seventh overall and comes just two years after 2018 release ‘Under My Skin’ – and, according to Gabrielle, it’s an album she didn’t plan to release.
“During lockdown, I’d been writing new material, and I was going to come up with a brand new album,” she tells Retro Pop. “Having recorded the show, I just fell in love with those songs. I fell in love with Falling [Harry Styles song] and Billie Eilish.
“I’d already fallen in love with the songs anyway enough to pick them to be my songs… It just became a no brainer.”
With massive hits like Rise and Out of Reach under her belt, Gabrielle has more than proven herself as a songwriter. But for even the biggest acts, a covers album can go either way…
With the star’s soulful and distinctive voice in command, however, we’re sold from the opening lines of Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly with His Song – and it just gets better.
Classics like Smile, Teardrops and I’ll Be There sit alongside recent hits from Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and Rhianna for a collection that’s undeniably timeless.
Among the tracklist sit two original compositions – Stop Right Now and Can’t Hurry Love – the former launching the campaign for ‘Do It Again’ to critical acclaim.
The new tunes prelude a brand new studio album of original compositions that the star’s been working on during lockdown and has teased is on the way soon.
Moreover, they showcase Gabrielle’s skill as a songwriter, sitting alongside some of the biggest hits of the past 50+ years and not sounding remotely out of place.
Closing the album is a cover of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car – the track Gabrielle originally sampled on her debut single and breakout hit, Dreams.
It’s surprisingly poignant and, in the words of the singer herself, a “fitting… full circle moment” that paves the way for a brand new era, as Gabrielle prepares to celebrate 30 years since her musical debut.
‘Do It Again’ is available to pre-order now, with exclusive signed CDs available from the artist’s store.
