Florence Welch's guest spot on Taylor Swift's "Florida!" sparked my interest in this album. While more of a darker rock undercurrent fuels the emotional undercurrent of the title track that opens this album, there is a great deal of brooding introspective that follows. This song certainly raises the bar when it comes to your expectations for the rest of the album. The vibrato trembling of her rich alto is a key selling point, and she is capable of creating memorable hooks with i,t even though if she wanders in a pondering circle much like Natalie Merchant at times. I can also hear the influence of the Cowboy Junkies lurking in the more organic moments like "One of the greats," which grew on me with repeat listens.
Lyrically she is very solid with her personal accounts of exploring the pitfalls of relationships, like a page from her diary. "Witch Dance" is a little less focused than the more deliberate pound of "Sympathy Magic" that finds her vocal acrobatics working in synch with dynamic melodies that serve the song. Perhaps the experimentation going on here is marking her Kate Bush era, though she is less about stepping into a character. Though she owes more to Joni Mitchell on " Perfume and Milk". This album is more folk than I expected, with an almost Tracy Chapman-like vibe being strummed out for "Buckle," though this is run through a filter of modern pop songwriting, though not production so that might throw off some ears.
"Kraken" has a little more urgency in its strum, and almost brings the Proclaimers "I'm Gonna Be " to mind..Though it sprawls out to a much more expansive dynamic. I find "Old Religion" to be emitted from a place that connects with more honesty and less metaphor, though I appreciate the fantasy trappins of the previous song. Her vocal lines are more soulful here. "Drink Deep" simmers with her vocals centerstage. I would say lyrics aside, this is produced in a way meant to appeal to fans of Adele more than fans of say Ethel Cain, though I can hear where he appeal might lie with both audiences.."Music By Men" is a more vulnerable folk song, with lyrics that share similar tones as Taylor Swift's breakup songs.
"You Can Have it All" finds a more experimental ambiance applied to a formula that seems tried and true for her, as her vocal power is what carries the bulk of these songs. She is going for the Instagram witch vibes in many of the lyrics on this album, though I am not sure I believe her devotion to some of these theories. However, her vocal power is impressive. The dreamy ballad "And Love" is more delicate than the previous songs, and while I appreciate hearing the range of her vocal colors, it's not the album's most interesting song. It's a solid album on the more dramatic side of folk music that is produced for a big arena-sized audience, which will give it a 9.5
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