Released: 30th April 2021
Published by: Atlantic Records
Following a five-year break from the music scene, Birdy has returned with her fourth major album. In many ways it’s a full circle back to what brought her to prominence in the UK industry. As early as age 14, Jasmine Bogaerde’s pieces have moved and affected many a listener.
With many releases and covers over the last decade, the singer has found massive success. Jasmine’s previous album, Beautiful Lies, featured a distinctively Eastern tone with its integration of traditional string instruments. Young Heart brings things back to a more introspective view and at sixteen tracks, it’s another beefy collection. While she has always been a talented pianist, this fourth album brings in some guitar acoustics. It’s a blend that works very well, bringing tones both delicate and atmospheric. The variation in her singing voice remains the centrepiece; Birdy lingers on the lyrics one moment and renders them with a tender flow the next.
On the one hand, we have sweeping tracks like “Loneliness” and “Surrender” and on the other “Nobody Knows Me Like You Do” and “Evergreen” lean in another, more simple direction. The way Birdy mixes and matches the different instruments, placing emphasis on one over the other, forms the backbone of the album. Young Heart also features some piano instrumentals that serve as an opening and interlude, adding a dose of more traditional pieces. Collectively, the song set speaks to deeper connections between people and takes on a more reflective aesthetic; Jasmine has called it a “heartbreak album” and these feelings really come through. Above all else, Young Heart plays to the artist’s strengths; more than just about any other UK singer, Bogaerde relies heavily on peaceful notes and the album is once again a strong showcase of this. At the same time though, it’s fairly familiar territory for the artist, landing closely to her first album back in 2011.
By crafting something more scaled back and personal, Birdy’s return to the music artistry is another great effort. Jasmine’s soothing style and atmospheric compositions continue to impress, though she could look to expand into other music genres in the future.
Rating: B
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