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Heaven (Cleo Sol album)

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Heaven
An orange and yellow-tinred photograph of a girl sitting at a park bench
Studio album by
Cleo Sol
Released15 September 2023 (2023-09-15)
GenreSoul[1]
Length30:04
LabelForever Living Originals
Cleo Sol chronology
Mother
(2021) 		Heaven
(2023) 		Gold
(2023)

Heaven is the third full-length studio album by British soul singer Cleo Sol, released on 15 September 2023 through Forever Living Originals.[2] The album was announced days before its release.[3]

Reception

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Shahzaib Hussain of Clash Music scored Heaven an 8 out of 10, stating that this release "develops rather than radically departs from the muted palette of its predecessors, this time through the lens of an earned maturity" and features life lessons "predicated around zephyr-like immersion and mantra-like repetition".[4] In The Fader, David Renshaw recommended this album's followup Gold prior to hearing it, based on the strength of this work and its "tender blend of neo-soul, 70s soul, and modern jazz".[5] The Observer's Kitty Empire gave this release 4 out of 5 stars, calling the music "soulful succour" and "a short and delicate offering that crystallises [Cleo Sol]'s distinct appeal".[1] Pitchfork's Vrinda Jagota rated Heaven 7.4 out of 10, writing that "there are many transcendent moments" and praised that "Sol is able to pivot between multiple emotional states—gratitude, calm, yearning—within the space of a single vocal run".[6] Jem Aswad of Variety reviewed both Heaven and Gold, calling them both "serene R&B outings" and comparing them favorably to 1970s Stevie Wonder and Erykah Badu.[7]

Editors at NPR Music included this among the 50 best albums of 2023.[8] Editors at The Fader chose this as the 14th best album of the year.[9] Editors at Clash Music listed this the 19th best albums of the year.[10] Editors at AllMusic included this among their favorite R&B albums of 2023.[11]

In Billboard, Carl Lamarre chose the best new hip hop and R&B tracks of the week, including "Miss Romantic", which he calls "an honest self-talk about overcoming a broken romance" on an album that includes "soul-stirring takes on love, motherhood and self-assurance [which] ring true".[12] Writing for The Complex UK, James Keith called Sol's previous albums Rose in the Dark and Mother "titanic masterpieces" and considers this release their peer that continues the "stunning partnership" with Inflo;[13] that publication later listed this as the fifth-best album of the year.[14] The American Complex chose this as the 30th best album of 2023.[15]

Track listing

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  1. "Self" – 3:19
  2. "Airplane" – 4:00
  3. "Go Baby" – 3:56
  4. "Heaven" – 2:42
  5. "Old Friends" – 2:57
  6. "Miss Romantic" – 3:21
  7. "Golden Child (Jealous)" – 3:27
  8. "Nothing on Me" – 2:44
  9. "Love Will Lead You There" – 3:35

Personnel

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Empire, Kitty (23 September 2023). "Cleo Sol: Heaven review – soulful succour from the Sault singer". Music. The Observer. Guardian Media Group. ISSN 0029-7712. OCLC 50230244. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  2. ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (15 September 2023). "Cleo Sol drops the brand new album, Heaven". News. The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  3. ^ Murray, Robin (10 September 2023). "Cleo Sol Announces New 'Heaven' Album". News. Clash Music. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  4. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (15 September 2023). "Cleo Sol – Heaven". Reviews. Clash Music. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  5. ^ Renshaw, David (29 September 2023). "New Music Friday: This week's essential new albums". Music / Hip-Hop. The Fader. ISSN 1533-5194. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  6. ^ Jagota, Vrinda (29 September 2023). "Cleo Sol: Heaven Album Review". Albums. Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  7. ^ Aswad, Jem (29 September 2023). "Cleo Sol Steps Out From Sault With Two Serene R&B Outings, 'Heaven' and 'Gold': Albums Review". Music > Reviews. Variety. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 810134503. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  8. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". NPR Music. NPR. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  9. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2023". The Fader. 12 December 2023. ISSN 1533-5194. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Albums Of The Year 2023". Features. Clash Music. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Favorite R&B Albums". AllMusic. RhythmOne. n.d. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  12. ^ Lamarre, Carl (18 September 2023). "R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Sleepy Hallow, Denzel Curry, Cleo Sol & More". R&B/Hip-Hop. Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  13. ^ Keith, James (15 September 2023). "Cleo Sol Shares New Life Lessons On Third Album 'Heaven'". The Complex UK. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  14. ^ Patterson, Joseph "JP"; Keith, James; Cagna, Claudia (15 December 2023). "Complex UK's Best Albums Of 2023". The Complex UK. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  15. ^ "The Best Albums Of 2023". Music. Complex. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
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