Released: February 16
On her first studio album in four years, Paloma Faith brings her trademark drama, served up in an amalgamation of pop styles from the last few decades.
Lead single How You Leave A Man is an explosive number with soaring vocals and acts as a fantastic introduction to the era, with brash guitars backing a roaring middle eight to create a jarring intensity that can be heard throughout the record.
Bad Woman is another punchy number with impressive vocals and gospel choirs echoing Faith throughout, making for a euphoric and uplifting highlight, while God In A Dress makes use of Paloma’s signature smoky vocals to convey a powerful message.
The singer-songwriter has always been one to infuse her artistry with politics, championing diversity and progression, and across ‘The Glorification Of Sadness’ she remains distinctly in her own lane – a welcome return to form after her previous album, 2020’s ‘Infinite Things’, often didn’t pack the punch of her previous releases.
There’s an occasional misstep, with Cry On The Dancefloor – which sits in the middle of the tracklist – falling short of its potential, with a middling chorus and out of place production characterising what could have been a shimmering disco anthem.
A quick perusal of the tracklist has one song jumping out in particular; Eat Shit And Die is equally striking on first listen, with retro-infused production – similar to that of current chart stars Olly Murs and Meghan Trainor – juxtaposing strikingly modern lyrics for an absolute blast of a pop song.
Similarly, Let It Ride feels like a track straight out of Sia’s songbook, with building verses that explode into a powerful and urgent chorus, channelling Paloma’s musical-theatre quality as she performs each and every syllable like a character in a stage play.
By carving this niche, Faith has cemented her place in the music industry as a unique and individual voice that proves the perfect palate cleanser to the rest of the pop charts. This album is no exception; confident, self-assured and authentic to her brand, with the occasional curveball thrown in to keep things fresh and unpredictable.
