Laura Mvula Discography Rate - #11 - White Noise

Trouble in Paradise

Trouble in Paradise

He/Him
28. "We Go Harder (from The Harder We Go)" ​
Avg: 7.77 (so lucky!)
Highest Score: 9.5 @klow
Lowest Score: 6 @adayasatiger
Trouble Score: 9 Boom Score: 6.5

My rambling I forced @boombazookajoe to record forever:
MY GOD! I it’s a complete 180 as I adore music inspired by Fela Kuti and Cabo Verde!!! Thank you for saving my face and ass!! This is a solid 9!

27. "Same Ole Mistakes (BBC Live Lounge Cover)" ​
Avg. 7.84
Highest Score: 10 @Sprockrooster
Lowest Score: 5 @Skyline
Trouble Score: 6 Boom Score: 8

Commentary that isn't just me! Sorry for being a sour puss Sprockrooster!!

@Sprockrooster (10) “This beat can't be done wrong. And with Laura's vocals instantly better than the original. I said what I said.”

@BritPopLover (8) “Suits her to a tee”

@Trouble in Paradise "Sorry but Laura’s version just doesn’t pass the original for me

26. "Golden Ashes" ​
Avg. 7.95 (technical tie, broken by amount of 10s)
Highest Score: 10 x 2 @Attis @soratami
Lowest Score: 4 @Sprockrooster (I take back my apology, this is blasphemy!)
Trouble Score: 9.75 Boom Score: 6

Commentary but I'm the only one that's right!
Sprockrooster (4) “Bland.”

@BritPopLover (7) “Reminiscent of STTM. A regression imo”

@Trouble 9.75 The Dreaming Room goodness!! Love that she still has that fire in her.

i mean the lyrics even reference the standard cover of the Dreaming Room!!

25. "Little Girl Blue (from 12 Years a Slave)"​
Avg. 7.95 (technical tie, broken by amount of 10s)
Highest Score: 10 x 3 @Attis @BritPopLover @Trouble in Paradise
Lowest Score: 5.5 @Remorque
Trouble Score: 10 Boom Score: 8

We end with everyone saying the right thing!

@Sprockrooster (10) “A minimalistic approach can be so powerful.”

@BritPopLover (10) “Anything Nina Simone gets a 10 from me. Iconic.”

@Trouble 10 A dream come true, she could be Nina reborn.

@TeleDed I feel like I am so much like a Time Lord I should be eating jelly babies to this song. 9

How are these reveals? Do you want links to the song (if so youtube, spotify?) I will be honest, I am not making visuals or doing one for every song but I can do something for every elimination if desired. Any and all feedback welcome! I wanna do @boombazookajoe proud!
 
boom bazooka joe

boom bazooka joe

he/him
I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me...
surprise-bitch-hi.gif


So as you know, I fell off the planet with this rate. And then I entrusted my bestie @Trouble in Paradise to take up the reigns -- and then he fell off the face of the planet with this rate ddd. Oops! But things happen, and we should proceed with the rest of the results, don't you think?



#24

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Angel
from The Dreaming Room
Written by Laura Mvula and Troy Miler

Score: 7.98
Flying Peak: 21 Valley: 26

Angels: (10) @Attis (9.25) @Trouble in Paradise
Devils: (7) @adayasatiger @CorgiCorgiCorgi @odyism @Remorque
Boom Score: 8

A lot of Laura's songs, especially in The Dreaming Room, have a somber, sometimes joyless tone or theme to it. We've discussed a bit Laura's struggles around the time of this album, and that certainly permeated in the lyrics of this record. "Angel" by comparison, is almost gleeful, even if the message is still ultimately about a relationship that has met its' end.

This song has a lot to love for me, even if i wouldn't put it in the upper echelon of Laura songs. The acapella intro is a delight, but my favorite part is the midsong switch up that sounds like a Christmas canon ddd.

@Trouble in Paradise (9.25) "Angel baby, I am so sorry for sleeping on you for so long! Even though I adored The Dreaming Room when it came out, I feel like I didn’t give the whole body time to sink in. But also Laura is the type of artist where every song is so intricate that time only makes them sweeter."



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boom bazooka joe

boom bazooka joe

he/him
#23

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Like The Morning Dew
from Sing To The Moon
Written by Laura Mvula and Steve Brown

Score: 8.04
Flying Peak: 1 Valley: 23

The Morning Dew: (10) @boom bazooka joe @Sprockrooster
That Goes Away Early: (5) @adayasatiger (7) @klow @Remorque @Skyline
Boom Score: 10

Kind of disgusted this didn't make the Top 20 tbh, but considering how the rest of this album was treated, I am taking this ranking (and our first song to break an 8+ average) as a win! Today we say goodbye to "Like The Morning Dew," the first track of Laura's first album.

This was the first Laura Mvula song I ever heard. A friend recommended me this album, and I didn't bother watching a MV, listening to a single, or anything else -- I just downloaded the album and pressed play. I was absolutely blown away with this song from the first second. To me, this song, the production, the switch ups in time signature, the orchestral nature, it encapsulates everything I love about Laura from a musical standpoint.

I also remember thinking this was such a romantic song ... until I listened to the lyrics. "Our love is like the morning dawn" aww what a great metaphor "... that goes away." Oop. Color me stupid, I really didn't pay attention for quite a few listens and just thought "Wow, what a lovely song" until I realized it was actually quite sad. As are most Laura tracks.

Fellow 10 giver @Sprockrooster raves: (10) “Morning dew gives a landscape such an appealing look and it creates a vibrant life. Animals from many orders - insects to birds and everything in between - come together like happens with a lake in a steppe climate. And it is this harmonious feeling - especially captured well in the metropole orchestra version - that is perfect for an album start - likewise with morning dew.”

Elsewhere, the voters compliment Morning Dew's placement in the album. @BritPopLover (8) “Iconic harmonies, what an opener!” @Trouble in Paradise (8.5) “The perfect opener, the perfect introduction to the genius of Laura Mvula.”







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boom bazooka joe

boom bazooka joe

he/him
#22

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People (featuring Wretch 32)
from The Dreaming Room
Laura Mvula, Troy Miller, and Jermaine Sinclair (Wretch 32)

Score: 8.07
Flying Peak: 12 Valley: 25

Glorious People: (10) @BritPopLover @Sprockrooster
(9.5) @klow
(9) @Remorque
Not Wonderful: (6.25) @Trouble in Paradise
(6) @adayasatiger @CorgiCorgiCorgi
Boom Score: 8

If "People" were in a musical, it would be considered the "11 o'clock number." For those that might be unfamiliar, the 11 o'cock number happens usually towards the end of Act II, right before the finale, and it's often a show stopping number sung by the main protagonist. It's often the most emotional, the most heartfelt, the biggest self-discovery, and it catapults the show into the final hurrah.

"People" feels like just that. It's near the end of the album, (the second to last song proper) right before the joyful celebration that is "Phenomenal Woman." It's signature Laura in the way that it's both hauntingly dark and and emotional, while also hopeful and uplifting. Here, Laura (and featured artist Wretch 32) talk seriously about the struggles and hardships Black people face simply by living in the skin they are in. Still, the refrain takes a turn (as many Laura songs do) with the repeated motif "We are a wonder, how glorious, this light in us."

Musically, this isn't my favorite Laura tune, though I appreciate what she is doing here. The opening is almost scary at times, which of course is the point, but it doesn't necessarily make it an enjoyable listen. I do love the switch up and Wretch's verse, which brings the whole thing together.

@Trouble in Paradise isn't a big fan (6.25) "She’s cute next to glorious for me," but elsewhere this song has its' mega fans. @Sprockrooster (10) raves: "I really love the edge this track has combined with that angelical voice from this phenomenal woman. A juxtaposition that works well with a rap feature giving that extra layer. Wretch 32 is a perfect fit for her soundscape. I can also see Q-Tip work his magic very well on a Mvula-track.” And @BritPopLover (10) is similarly a fan of the collab: “Wretch's verse HIT THIS SONG OUT THE PARK! when geniuses collide.”



Tomorrow (or later tonight) we say goodbye to the second song from Pink Noise. And I'm not pleased about it.

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boom bazooka joe

boom bazooka joe

he/him
#20 *TIE PART 1*

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What Matters (feat. Simon Neil)
from Pink Noise
Laura Mvula & Dann Hume

Score: 8.13
Flying Peak: 18 Valley: 39

Never Alone: (10) @Attis @BubblegumBoy @Trouble in Paradise
(9.5) @TéléDex
Don't Matter: (5) @Sprockrooster
(6) @BritPopLover @CorgiCorgiCorgi
Boom Score: 10

You lot managed to get the first Pink Noise elimination correct, and then you went and fucked up the rest of it. We say goodbye to the sole ballad and sole collab on Pink Noise, "What Matters" featuring Simon Neil, not to be confused with playwright Neil Simon.

Laura and Simon debuted this song (along with Safe Passage, Conditional, and Church Girl) during her COVID-concert prior to the album release. While every new song seemed more exciting than the last, this is the one that really drew me in. I loved the old school, dreamy, prom ballad-esque approach to this song. I also found Laura's brassy, belty approach to her voice a nice juxtaposition to Simon's smooth, crystal clear vocals.

Thematically, the song deals with a relationship where both parties are still hurting about something that happened in the past (jury's out on whether it was a big thing or a little thing), but they are in the process of realizing that the good that they have now is more important than holding onto the pain of what happened before. It's melancholic but oddly hopeful.

It took me a moment to get into this track when the album was released. I had been listening to the live version for so long, that the subdued, filtered vocals from Laura didn't immediately work for me. I still think I prefer the live rendition, but the studio version immensely grew on me with repeat listens.

As far as commentary goes, they come at opposite ends of the spectrum. @BritPopLover (6) is whelmed: “I'm not mad at it, but I'm not crazy about it either.“ Meanwhile, @Trouble in Paradise (10) gushes: "80s golden magic, never in a million years would I think this could work but damn does it."



Next up, Part II of the tie -- which was another song that debuted at the Under A Pink Moon Livestream...

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boom bazooka joe

boom bazooka joe

he/him
#20 *TIE PART 2* - #18

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20. I'm Still Waiting (Diana Ross Cover)
Laura Mvula & Dann Hume

Score: 8.13
Flying Peak: 19 Valley: 34

Supremes: (10) @boombazookajoe @Attis @klow
(9.25) @TéléDex
Not Supremes: (6) @Sprockrooster
(6.75) @Remorque
Boom Score: 10

++++++++++

19. Sing To The Moon (1/f Version)
Laura Mvula & Steve Brown

Score: 8.18
Flying Peak: 17 Valley: 42

The Stars: (10) @CorgiCorgiCorgi @odyism
(9) @Attis @BubblegumBoy @klow @soratami
The Moon: (5.5) @Skyline
(6) @Sprockrooster
Boom Score: 8

++++++++++

18. Show Me Love (1/f Version)
Laura Mvula & Troy Miller

Score: 8.29
Flying Peak: 18 Valley: 37

Love of the Deepest Kind: (10) @Attis @Trouble in Paradise
(9.5) @boombazookajoe
Needs the Kiss of Another: (6) @Sprockrooster
(7) @adayasatiger @CorgiCorgiCorgi
Boom Score: 9.5

I figured we would do something a little different with this elimination, since it was 3 songs in a row featured off the "1/f" EP. Prior to the release of Pink Noise, Laura released a livestream COVID-safe concert event, which featured never before heard songs "What Matters," "Unconditional," "Church Girl," and "Safe Passage." Here, she also released re-imagined versions of some of her classic tunes, including the above eliminations "Show Me Love," which feels much like the centerpiece of The Dreaming Room, and the title track of Sing To The Moon: "Sing To The Moon."
Both of these reimagined tracks upgraded their more lush, orchestral production present in the OGs and turned them into, well frankly, songs that would have sounded right at home on the 80s fueled Pink Noise. I'll discuss those songs more individually when their OG versions get eliminated. Y'all were kinder to the upgraded version of "Show Me Love." @BritPopLover (8) praises: “Adore what she done with this track,” and @Trouble in Paradise is a huge fan: "This is perfect. Quintessential Laura Mvula, capturing all sides of her artistic journey for me."

Meanwhile, when it came to the upgraded "Sing To The Moon," we weren't as kind. Second place rate villain @Sprockrooster (6) says: "Always here for updated song versions (hello T.O.N.Y. [Grown and Sexy] - or Left Outside Alone, Part 2), but this somehow doesn't captivate. Perhaps it is because I am too accustomed to the original versions." And @Trouble in Paradise (6.75) stream of conscience drags the opening: "Why that opening why. Why does it stay. I cannot. The rest is sublime per usual but that damn beeping."

The biggest surprise on the EP was Laura's cover of the Diana Ross classic "I'm Still Waiting." I'll be honest, I didn't know this song prior to Laura's rendition! I've since listened, and it's beautiful, and everything that Laura has done with it makes it feel so classically here. It doesn't feel like a "cover" at all, which is usually the biggest compliment I can give a cover. @Trouble in Paradise (9.5) loves it too: "God this just breaks my heart every time. Laura doing Diana was not expected but now I need MORE!!"






Next up ... a song that was eliminated in this post. But which one...



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