JORJA SMITH Vinilo y CD

Review: The second full-length solo record by British songstress Jorja Smith. Falling Or Flying was released in 2023, and heard a continued unpacking of the yearning, jazz-soul-r&b-house combo she'd laid down on prior releases like Be Right Back and Lost & Found. Smith herself stated that the lyrical content "touch[es] on breakups, relationships with my friends, relationships with old friends, relationships with myself," and marking a recent step into womanhood, "more sure of herself than ever before". This reimagined edition of the album, released a year later, hears several more live interpretations of the OG record's best songs, including 'Greatest Gift', 'Little Things' and 'Feelings'.

Review: Jorja Smith fans have been keen to hear from the contemporary r&b star since her 2019 debut album. Finally she returns with a fresh eight track offering that continues where that album left off. Be Right Back does develop the themes in different ways and ends up being a more broad and diverse collection of tracks that feature often paired back production. Some tunes are just her and a guitarist, others are late night slow jams with gentle beats. Her voice has matured since we last heard from Smith and seems to now have a bigger range and this record is all the better for it.