Rose In The Dark

Product Information

Straying not too far from the classicist neo-soul vibe of her prior Forever Living Originals efforts, Heaven is more natural refinement than radical departure and all the better for it. A regular at the annual, famous Notting Hill Carnival, Cleo is often spotted cycling around the roads of West London.

Produced by Inflo, who worked with Danger Mouse on Michael Kiwankua's last album Kiwanuka, he gives the record a similar nostalgic sophistication and soul. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH). Whether she's singing about love, heartbreak or self-discovery, Cleo Sol's music resonates with listeners on a deep level.

The slightly cooler, more beautiful 'girl-next-door', Cleo, loves fashion and she says her style is influenced by her Dad's 'rockabilly', mixed with grunge and 80's era music; "If all else fails, it's all about the big hair and big earrings", she says. The partnership with Davinche led to tracks with Tinie Tempah on 'Tears', Wretch 32's 'Dancefloor', Davinche's 'Hero' and 'Riding for Love' alongside Bashy. Yes ,the cover is very heavy cardboard, but it's also poorly designed and it's difficult to get the vinyl back in the cover ; as it's like two tightly sandwiched pieces of card with no defined spine .

This neo-soul gem executes such a whirlwind of progression with confessional lyricism that harkens back to her earlier work, and simple yet moving piano to spotlight Sol's incredible voice. I did manage to find a slightly larger plastic sleeve, but be prepared for the fact that this might stick out of your 12" storage.

And as with the previous album, the pressing is very decent and the packaging is of incredible quality, a really thick matt finish card – the best I own I’d say, and I have a lot! The fourth album from soul artist Cleo Sol, Gold is an even more developed and profound artistic stepping stone from her previous album, which arrived just weeks before this record. The music, the lyrics and even more the vocals on this record are purposeful and so well placed that your body can fell the magic that was created in the studio. The feel of the tunes makes me feel like the Impressions do, Curtis Mayfield, the big spaces and instinctive horns and stuff drifting in and out.

Following last year's universally adored Rose In The Dark, Cleo Sol is back with an album that challenges its predecessor's supremacy. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our site, provide personalised content and advertising, analyse our traffic, and ensure you see more of what you love. Cleo also featured on 'Give a Little Love', the official Orange Rockcorps anthem alongside Roll Deep, Wretch 32 and Aggro Santos. It was Stevie Wonder's 'Don't You Worry Bout a Thing' that struck the loudest chord with Cleo as a youngster discovering music. Clearly influenced by neo-soul acts like Erykah Badu and Solange but also has strong roots in classic 70s female soul like Minnie Riperton.

Cleo Sol’s arrival in the past few years has been one of the best things to happen to UK soul music in a long time, and she’s gifted us two of her outstanding albums in the past 12 months.

Cleo's inspirations derive from her parents' musical passions, shuffling through a record collection of classics across Motown, Reggae, Latin, and Acid Jazz. Certain items can take longer to source than the estimated week, particularly during busy trading periods and may take longer to arrive at our warehouse. Cleo quickly became the singer in the family, jostling for attention amongst seven other siblings, she received a second hand karaoke player from her mum which gave her a platform to display her early talents to her musical family.Products labelled '*item fulfilled by Exertis on behalf of hmv' will be supplied to you directly by Exertis via their approved couriers. For items that are dispatched using our standard service, we ask that you wait 14 days from the date of dispatch before reporting any items as undelivered. Everything is cast in warm, rich tones, from the acoustic lilt of 'Airplane' to the dusky bump of 'Go Baby', but it's the strength of Sol's vocal presence which binds everything together so perfectly. Like so many others, this came like a bolt out of the blue and, even though it's well before payday, I had to have this astonishing album on vinyl to prove it exists.