The excitement surrounding Olivia Dean’s sophomore album, The Art Of Loving, proves she has mastered the art of aesthetics. Her bright and relaxed performances manifest into a curation of soft-glam makeup and ’70s chic, all of which conjure towards dreamy eclecticism. Dean’s gentle warmth has earned her an adoring fanbase, one which can sell out the O2 Arena four times over. Though on The Art of Loving, Olivia Dean does more than create mere vibes; she produces a multifaceted body of work drifting between sunny buoyancy and the occasional cutting edge.
The success of the album was practically solidified after Dean became the first British female artist to have three top 10 singles simultaneously on the Official Charts since Adele in 2021. For the past month, ‘Man I Need’ has nestled in the Official Charts’ number two spot behind the flummoxing success of ‘Golden’ from Netflix’s smash hit KPop Demon Hunters. ‘Man I Need’ is a stellar track acting as the centre piece among a rich and lavish buffet of ballads, electric piano, and incandescent vocals. It exudes this timeless quality through refined layers of instrumentation and exceptional melodies, with the brightly optimistic hook: “Come be the man I need”.
The latest single from this album, ‘So Easy (To Fall In Love)’, conjures a similar type of groove, driven by a bossa nova guitar as Dean’s falsetto harmonies dance across the syncopated piano chords. It’s a rather niche sonic fusion that sounds as if Clairo was trying to make a disco song that would heavily feature in H&M’s in-store playlist. Still, the track is chirpy, as Dean playfully sings “It’s so easy to fall in love with me”.
‘Close Up’ feels most reminiscent of her debut album, Messy. It lands right in the realm of hackneyed tales of Brit School students, inspired by Amy Winehouse, turning into neo-soul artists – a tale Dean is clearly keen to rewrite following those initial critiques. The lead single, ‘Nice To Each Other’, steers clear of those comparisons, using light percussive elements dispersed throughout the mix. The strummed electric guitar is filtered and reverbed to put her luscious vocals centre-stage.
And that’s what is so captivating about The Art of Loving: Dean’s assuredness vocally. Her voice is so strong that she could quite easily belt out every song. Instead, she takes the harder route of reserving her most powerful vocals for the biggest crescendos. ‘Let Alone The One You Love’ positions Dean in a well-versed canon of exceptional British artists, like Sam Smith and Adele, who can write exceptional ballads. The descending chord scale jumping over a swung drum rhythm contains the occasional inflection of brass. It’s truly stunning as the lyrics “If you knew me at all / You wouldn’t try to keep me small” are exclaimed.
Likewise, ‘Loud’ finds itself unremarkably beginning with a picked acoustic guitar until it sprawls into a glorious symphony, featuring an excellent composition of strings arranged by Rosie Danvers. Melodically, it is hard not to beckon comparisons to a Bond theme song, something Dean should definitely be considered for following this latest offering.
The album closer, ‘I’ve Seen It’, is a brilliant concept for a song, using the question “where have I seen love?” as a stimulus. The turn of phrase “Sat right across me on the tube / I’ve seen it miss a stop or two” is so recognisable, yet so observational. Dean makes herself a conduit of romance and affection, expressing “The more you look the more you find”. And though Dean discusses the difficulty of The Art of Loving, she never strays far from optimism, making the art of loving her incredibly easy.
As the album glides past, there’s an incredible level of emotional depth and sophisticated nuance. Loving is not simplistic, and neither is Dean’s manuscript of the feeling: her vivacity is often undercut with sorrow. Though, as she expresses during the titular opener, her romantic turbulence “wasn’t all for nothing”, as it’s left her with a charming album.
Words by Ben Oxley
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