February 2021 - Music

Album of the Month - Not Your Muse by Celeste

At the end of November 2019, Celeste played a three-night residency at London’s Omeara. The intimate shows were a true ‘I was there’ moment. In a sight that would now give you goosebumps: the 320-capacity venue was stacked, punters craning their necks from the back row as the crowd spilled out the door, all trying to catch a glimpse of Britain’s next soul hero. These gigs – that showcased Celeste as a once-in-a-generation talent – were spectacular, the culmination of years of hard graft trying to break into the industry. It then came as no surprise that Celeste then topped a slew of ones-to-watch lists in following months.

Opening with the lilting eye-roll of ‘Ideal Woman’, a slow-burn that sees Celeste consider why she might not be somebody’s dream girl, before concluding: “May not be your ideal woman / The freedom that you’d get / Please don’t mistake me for a woman who cares”. This self-assuredness is a theme that threads throughout the entire record, a collection of powerful, succinct songs that couple neat writing with tender lyrics and Celeste’s stunning vocals.

Musically it flits between tug-at-the-heartstring moments (‘Strange’, ‘Beloved’) and slinky pop earworms (‘Tonight Tonight’, ‘Stop This Flame’). ‘Love Is Back’ is a swaggering cut with brass lines evocative of Mark Ronson‘s work on Amy Winehouse‘s ‘Back to Black’ and diamond-sharp percussion atop of lyrics that celebrate finding a partner who’s worthy of you (“I’m startin’ to realise that all the boys that I find / Are all trouble, I told my mother / She said, ‘Girl, get your glass full'”). Meanwhile, ‘Stop This Flame’, which gained new-found popularity last year being used for the theme song for Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage, is fuelled by an unrelenting piano-vamp that drives the song into floor-filling euphoria.

In the past her powerhouse voice has been compared to those of Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin and Billie Holiday. And while these may be apt references, they don’t reflect what a singular talent Celeste is. There may be elements of these greats in her vocals, but as ‘Not Your Muse’ proves, Celeste is on her way to becoming a star in her own right.