New Release from Emeli Sandé "Long Live the Angels (Deluxe)"

One word comes to mind when you hear Emeli Sandé’s new music. It’s palpable in every note, in each lyric; its visceral presence exists even in the silence:

Freedom.

The overwhelming, unadulterated, exultant sound of freedom. Long Live The Angels is intensely steeped in an unreserved sense of self-discovery, self-confidence, spiritual liberty. A resoundingly confident, joyfully uplifting soul/ pop record, this is the work of an artist who has truly discovered herself vocally, lyrically, musically, emotionally and spiritually.

A lot has happened to Sandé in the four years since the resounding success of her critically acclaimed number one record, Our Version Of Events. Not only was it the biggest selling album of 2012 and second biggest selling album of 2013, but it was also certified 7x platinum, spent seven non-consecutive weeks at No.1 and exceeded The Beatles' previous record by spending 63 consecutive weeks in the top 10 and selling over 4.6 million copies worldwide.  The Aberdonian scored three UK number 1 singles and  the track, ‘Next to Me’ was certified platinum in the U.S with over 1.5 million singles sold. Sandé has won numerous accolades including 3 X Brit Awards (Critics Choice, Best Album, Female Solo) as well as awards from Q Magazine, Elle, Harpers and GQ.  The multi-instrumentalist initially made her mark as a songwriter in the UK urban scene via acts such as Wiley, Wretch 32 and Chip, later becoming a highly sought-after writer for a wide array of international acts including Alicia Keys, Rihanna and Katy Perry.

As 2013 came to a close, Sandé was exhausted and unable to ignore the strain it was putting on a number of close relationships, “Sounds a bit dramatic but I just wanted to disappear. I just had this overwhelming sensation and realisation everything had to stop,” she reflects, “And then slowly it did.”

It was in 2013, while rehearsing in New York for a Carole King tribute performance at the White House, that everything both fell apart and fell into place. Emeli felt removed from her situation and those closest to her, desperately unhappy but unable to reach out to anyone. Back at her hotel later that evening, Sandé realised her marriage was over, “I’d shut out everything for so long, and all of a sudden I couldn’t block it out anymore.” Emeli had worked tirelessly since the age of 21 when she quit her medical degree and moved to London to pursue music. When she finally took a break six years later, the then 27 year-old realised that despite accomplishing huge career goals, she had neglected her own personal development. “I was so obsessed with music that I wasn’t having life experiences. I was just in the studio all the time and I had no idea who I was anymore,” she reflects. “Everything came crashing down at once, I just wanted to disappear, but I couldn’t. I had to face it and deal with it.”

Having grown up one of two mixed-race children in Alford, a tiny town outside of Aberdeen, Sande also felt the need to confront her heritage “I had a real identity crisis with being mixed race and felt the need to really get to know the Zambian side of my family.” In 2014, she went to her father’s village in Zambia to explore her African side and it was here that things started to fall into place. “I felt like a big hole had been mended,” she remembers of the visit. She met her grandmother and various cousins and aunts and was hit with a walloping sense of realisation, “I’d had so many issues with identity. I suddenly woke up to how my life had been and why. I just got some self-awareness and realised you have to be on point and true to yourself.”

So Sandé stopped, collected her thoughts and took time out. She ended her marriage and parted with her management, setting up her own company, Jupiter, which would later go on to partner with Jay Z’s Roc Nation. She moved from her marital home in Hertfordshire back to the thriving artistic heart of east London. She made some new friends, reacquainted with old ones, discovered art galleries and alternative literature, read and listened to the greats, and slowly began to discover who she was, what she liked, what her opinions were. “I suddenly realised I had all this freedom” says Emeli. ”But it was about growing up and being mature with it and actually using it in a positive way. It was about starting life all over again and learning what the real world is like and surviving within it.”

As she began to understand herself, her instincts as a songwriter kicked in and she turned to music to start to make sense of her feelings. Pouring the last four years into her songwriting, the 29 year old returns with the album Long Live The Angels. Recorded in New York, L.A, London and Oxford and available in Standard CD (15 tracks) and Deluxe Version (18 tracks), Long Live the Angels crackles with energy and a sense of euphoria for both listener and artist. Certain tracks may be slower in spirit, but are dynamic in delivery, “I made sure the production wasn’t overworked,” Emeli points out, “And I really went for it vocally!” Sandé’s outstanding voice sits at the heart of the record, underscoring the singer’s mastery of both technique and form but also her natural intuition as a vocalist.

Opening track ‘Selah’, a short poem backed by a choral choir sets the tone, written solely by Sandé during a time of reflection; it’s a powerful and poignant introduction to the album. Next up is the sensational ‘Breathing Underwater’, which Sandé describes as “the ultimate journey in rebirth and self-discovery.” The super stripped back ‘Give Me Something’ is a wondrous take on keeping the faith despite the odds being stacked against you, and the beautifully melodic Shakes is a piano and strings led masterpiece.

‘Hurts’ is a searing heart and soul filled track, produced by Mojam [Sam Smith] and co-written with Mac & Phil [Miguel]. “This entire album is about me not holding back and not censoring myself, and ‘Hurts’ is an explosion It’s just…. real talk,” Sandé grins. The southern-belt, upbeat ballad is the sound of a woman who’s had to truly rediscover herself in the truest sense, “I wanted to release ’Hurts’ first because it felt like everything I’d avoided saying for so long. I didn’t want to hold anything in anymore.”

‘Garden’ harks back to Sandé’s urban roots, written and produced in London with Jay Electronica, who also features on the track. It’s a reminder that Emeli’s influences are as much R&B and rap as they are singer/songwriter. ‘Lonely’ is a long hard look at love and has the feel of a track made on a summery late sixties afternoon. ‘Sweet Architect’ (Johnny Coffer and Mojam) is the show-stopping centre-piece punctuated by the most remarkable choir.

Towards the close of Long Live the Angels, we witness a jubilant Sandé experiencing the hopes of new possibilities; ‘Every Single Little Piece’ is a stirring mid-tempo ballad, with a huge chorus and soul-stirring strings and the uplifting ‘Highs & Lows’ is a dedication to her family, her history and her heritage.

Long Live The Angels marks a brand new chapter in Sandé’s life, “I’m proud of my first album and thankful for the experiences it gave me. But I’m so much happier with my new album and with where I am in life.”