From Snoh Aalegra to Jorja Smith, Eryn Allen Kane, Sabrina Claudio, Ari Lennox, Joyce Wrice, Kiana Ledé, Jessie Reyez, Kali Uchis and H.E.R. There is a great group of R&B/Soul artists that has truly emerged over the past several years to show what great talent there truly is in the genre. Which is thriving more than ever before and one of the more underappreciated artists from that group is U.K. singer and songwriter, Sinéad Harnett.
Harnett releasing just a few months ago her long-awaited and highly-anticipated debut album, Lessons in Love. Which finds the singer who’s most known for her soulfully and soothingly smooth vocals singing about the lessons in love she has learned so far in life throughout all 12 tracks. With the opening and title track, Lessons, really setting the tone for how soulfully heartfelt, great and beautiful the album truly is. The sensually piano-laden heartfelt JD. Reid-produced record really showing the true passion, range, depth and meaning of love in Harnett’s very heartfelt sensually smooth, yet passionately powerful vocals and lyrics.
Like a lot of truly great and talented soul artists right now, the very talented singer uses a lot more acoustic sounding type production. As displayed on Lessons, as well as the guitar riff sounds of the Maths Time Joy-produced, Leo Bear. Which upon first listen you listen you would think the record is about a lover she’s been waiting all her life for. Only to find out, it’s about her great and undenying love, as well as gratitude she has for her nephew, who was born prematurely. So she created the song as a sort of document of him growing up to look at when he gets older.
Just when you think the first two tracks are good and the album couldn’t get any better, Harnett delivers the very beautiful and magical, Pulling Away. A collaboration with fellow talented rising R&B singer and songwriter, Gallant, that’s as true as a duet as you will get. As the two sing in perfect harmony the magically smooth and very passionate lyrics about how they continue to keep pulling away from a love, they can’t quite let go. Both artists also showing both together and individually their soothingly soulful smooth and passionately heartfelt vocals and why their chemistry, as well as completely magical and stunning art is among some of the best in all of music period right now. That perfectly seguing into the very beautiful and emotional GRADES-produced and featured, If You Let Me. The very vibrating bass throughout really bringing the emotionally heavy lyrics about unresolved feelings and trying to love someone, who doesn’t want to love you, to life even more. A true lesson in love, like the album title.
Going into the second quarter of the album, Harnett switches things up a little bit with the very uptempo Cass Lowe-produced, No Pressure. That with the electro-type production and trumps throughout is a real groove that makes you want to get out on the dance floor. Harnett showing she not only isn’t afraid to try and experiment different styles and genres. But do it to perfection, as evident with the very catchy lyrics and feel-good happy and pep to your step feel. Making this easily one of the most standout tracks on the album. That perfectly segues into the very heartfelt and beautifully deep, as well as truly emotional Monro-produced, All That You Are. Easily not only the best record on the album, but one of the best you will ever possibly hear with the way Harnett is able to evoke all the deep emotions of love one experiences through her very heartfelt and passionately emotional lyrics and vocals. That’s so beautiful it can possibly move you to tears and/or make you really want to make passionate love to someone you want to spend the rest of your life with.
Shifting to the second half of the album, Harnett continues to show why she has one of the most beautifully soothing and amazing voices you will ever hear. That brings her soulful and loving lyrics even more to life, as shown on records like the MXXWLL-produced, Be the One (Interlude) or even the STINT-produced single, By Myself. The latter a very beautiful emotional record that really showcases Harnett’s just as beautifully passionate and emotional vocals, as well as lyrics about a love she can’t quite let go. That then perfectly seguing into the very beautifully soulful and amazing, as well as very catchy, Too Good for a Bad Thing. The guitar riffs making those emotional and near tear-jerking lyrics even more to life.
Where the album really hits its stride is the last three tracks; Him Too, Living and Walking Away. The almost acoustic like guitar riffs on the production from Jon Mills & The Arcade on, Living, really helping bring the soulfully beautiful and loving lyrics to life. Closing out with the very beautiful almost acoustic like guitar riffs on the Monro-produced, Walking Away. Harnett truly delivers all of the feels and emotions throughout the album, which plays like a romantic film you’re compelled in throughout. While giving you lessons in love and creating such a timeless amazing masterpiece album that will be remembered for years and generations to come as one of the better debut albums of all-time. With this just the beginning stages of a very promising and amazing career for Harnett.