Yola – Walk Through Fire (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 41:08 minutes | 506 MB | Genre: Country
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Easy Eye Sound – Nonesuch
Sometimes the longer the journey toward self-discovery, the bigger the payoff. Raised in Bristol, England, Yola Carter’s been homeless, sung in front of 60,000 at Glastonbury with Massive Attack and written hits for Will Young and Chase & Status. And yet she couldn’t quite find the right setting for her voice and a musical match for her heart until now. Influenced by Otis Redding, Dolly Parton and Aretha Franklin, Yola eventually gravitated towards country soul, that rarified Americana fusion that mixes organs with pedal steel guitar and Memphis soul grit and Nashville fiddles with the passions of gospel. Sensing opportune timing, The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, a master at mixing 60s retro elements into a modern brand of rootsy pop music, brought her to Nashville to write and record her debut album with veteran sidemen like pianist Bobby Wood and drummer Gene Chrisman, both members of American Sound Studio’s house band The Memphis Boys. To cinch success, Yola co-wrote the simmering title track with Dan Penn (“I’m Your Puppet,” “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man”). At the center of it all is Yola’s dramatic, emotive voice; it’s a little reminiscent of Dusty Springfield and a perfect match for Roy Orbison-styled tales of lost love. The alchemy of her mighty vocals and Auerbach’s retro stylings shines brightest in “Lonely the Night,” a mashup of quavering Spector-esque Wall of Sound and smooth countrypolitan gloss seasoned with a glockenspiel and an irresistible hook in the chorus. That’s followed by the bouncy soul pop of “Still Gone,” and the album’s knockout ballad, “Keep Me Here,” where she duets to perfection with the high tenor of the incomparable Vince Gill. Few debut albums grab and sustain an awesome sense of discovery with as much style as Walk Through Fire. – Robert Baird
Tracklist
1. Faraway Look
2. Shady Grove
3. Ride Out In The Country
4. It Ain’t Easier
5. Walk Through Fire
6. Rock Me Gently
7. Love All Night (Work All Day)
8. Deep Blue Dream
9. Lonely The Night
10. Still Gone
11. Keep Me Here
12. Love Is Light
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