Compilations 1.1 by Celeste | Album Review
The British soul singer brings together works from her second EP alongside solo releases in this compilation of velvety songs.
American born — British raised artist Celeste has seen plenty of well-needed praise and awards for her most recent album, Not Your Muse. The album gave Celeste 3 nominations at the 2021 Brit Awards and a number-one record on the UK charts. Celeste’s career began back in 2014, as she began providing backing vocals to artists like Avicii. By 2017, she released her first EP, Milk and Honey, through Lily Allen’s record label, Vanity Records. I happened to stumble upon her EP Compilations 1.1. The release is a collection of earlier works from her EP, Lately, with the addition of two extra tracks “Strange” and “Coco Blood”. I was immediately taken by the striking beauty of “Strange” randomly while exploring her soul/R&B music and knew she was something special. I loved Celeste’s heavy sultry vocal style. I can see why she is often compared to artists like Adele or Amy Winehouse, as her vocals have the same depth and technical skill.
One of the most well-known songs in this collection is the lead track “Strange” (Edit). Originally released as a single back in September 2019, it gained traction after its use in several series (such as Bridgerton and Outer Banks). There is a real sense of dreaminess in the song’s structure. You feel as if you are floating through this sparse landscape as Celeste’s breathy delivery almost lulls you off to sleep. The hollowness of this track really brings out the sense of loss Celeste is dealing with. In her conversation with Apple Music, she discussed how grappling with the loss of her father and the estrangement of some of her friendships conjured the song:
“To a lot of people, this probably sounds like a breakup song. But for me, it’s encompassing lots of feelings of loss. I wrote it in LA, during the 2018 California wildfires. One day, we passed the hospital where I’d seen my dad for the last time, before he died, and my stomach just dropped — the emotion was as raw as it had been six years earlier. I was also feeling heartbreak about the distance that had come between me and some of the friends I’d grown up with. And I was scared, too, that I’d lose my voice because of the ash in the sky. All those things came together in the studio. I approached the microphone very gently, because I was worried about my voice. But that also filtered into how I would treat this song, which was respectfully. When we finished it, there was this moment of quiet. I think we all felt proud of what we had done.”
The way she weakly sings the chorus, “Say, isn’t it strange?/ Isn’t it strange?/ You look at me, I look at you/ With nothing to say/ Isn’t it strange?/ How people can change/ From strangers to friends/ Friends into lovers/ And strangers again,” just drives home the sting of emptiness. The version on this collection omits the bridge (which only adds to the bite of her loneliness). I really like how the themes come together on this track.
“Both Sides of the Moon” includes the rich and retro soulful sounds of Gotts Street Park. This track was originally from Celeste’s 2019 Lately EP. Celeste gives off a dull pain over the slow rift that has begun to divide her and her lover. She compares their relationship to that of the moon and the tides. This secondary force, another woman, seems to be a harbinger that has spoiled their romance, “Our love is tainted by the tides/ Both sides, both sides of the moon/ And the moon is tainted by the tide/ Both sides, both sides, both sides/ And the moon is a slave to the tides/ Both sides, both sides, both sides.” As much as she wishes to pull away, his magnetism has made her an unwilling prisoner of this failing relationship.
“Lately” continues with the silky tones provided by Gotts Street Band. Coming after the hurt of “Both Sides of the Moon”, “Lately” sees Celeste free herself of these bonds to find her happiness. We continue with the throwback sounds of soul music that meld wonderfully with Celeste’s huskier vocals. Her need for independence shines through in the song’s chorus, “Lately, I’ve been tied up, lately, I’ve been lying/ Lately, I’ve been thinking about the ways to shake my life up/ Lately, I’ve been useless, lately, I’ve been loose/ Lately, I’m pushing through/ But I’ll hold my hand tonight if I have to/ I’ll only pay the price when I’m with you.” She comes off confident in her choice to move on.
“Father’s Son” gives me more of a neo-soul leaning. I get hints of Jill Scott in the way the sound of this song is organized. Celeste’s heavier vocals really shine through this presentation. She told i-D magazine the following about the meaning of the song:
“‘Father’s Son’ is a song about absent fathers. Who you are without them, who you will be without them and all the questions about yourself that you wish you could have asked them … My mother has covered so much in my life, but there were points where I thought it would be cool to ask my dad this one question.”
These questions really burn when Celeste sings, “Could there be two?/ Maybe I’m lonely, maybe you’re lost/ Maybe I’m an echo and maybe you’re a ghost,” really highlighting this bitter absence she feels from her estranged father.
“Summer” has a much more intimate sound. The bass sounds incredibly close and Celeste’s vocals echo like they were sung live in an empty room. Because of this closeness, you feel like you’re right there with her and London-based rapper Jeshi. It has some of the singer/songwriter qualities that remind me of Corrine Bailey Rae’s work. This closeness mirrors the themes of a summer love that both Celeste and Jeshi reminisce on. The chorus, “And it’s all I need, lost on this feeling, And it’s all I need, it’s just a change of time, And it’s all I need, why don’t we end on a high?/ And it’s all I need, no plain end in sight,” hints at the brevity of this whirlwind fling.
The jazziest track on this collection comes in with “Ugly Thoughts”. There is a smoky quality to this piece as saxophones and upright bass slowly trudge us forward. The lounge vibe works wonderfully with Celeste’s desire to change the outcome of this relationship. Her old defenses of being one foot out the door have her questioning whether is it too late to repair a relationship she stayed far too closed off for, “Turn around/ Look up now, look up now, is it too late to turn back now?/ ’Cause in my mind it makes sense.”
We end this collection with “Coco Blood”. Originally released as a single back in June 2019, this track has such a groove to it. The mixture of strings, horns, and guitars really brings out a brightness to the song. Celeste wonderfully embodies a sense of pride and confidence through her vocal delivery. She told Fader that the song was a sort of affirmation for her as she changed scenery to pursue her career:
“I wrote ‘Coco Blood’ about 4 years ago when I first moved to London and the first verse is about me moving to a new city. Moving to focus on music and see where it would take me, the chorus ‘Are you warm enough, coco blood?’ was me talking to myself, asking myself if I’m good enough and have the patience to persevere.”
She gives a sense of resolve in the song’s second verse, “I’m on time/ I’m a new colour (New colour), new money/ Miss my dad, but I’m not mad/ I’m cocoa butter, old man in a new Jag’/ When I die, this coco blood is skin tight.”
I love the mixture of styles and textures that Celeste experiments with on this release. Her rich, thick vocals pair great against both modern and retro soul, singer/songwriter, and pop soundscapes. Her range adds to the experience as she gives more color to the stories she sings. I found her songwriting to be very captivating. Songs like “Strange” and “Both Sides of the Moon” really stopped me in my tracks. My absolute favorite has to be “Strange”. It has such a depressive beauty that will have you misty-eyed by the end of the track. If you love the sounds of Adele’s early work, I think you’ll be taken immediately by this release. I will definitely be looking into her other releases. My overall thoughts on Compilations 1.1:
Loved it: “Strange” (Edit), “Both Sides of the Moon”(feat. Gotts Street Park), “Father’s Son”,“Summer” ,“Ugly Thoughts” & “Coco Blood”
Liked it: “Lately”
Disliked it: None
My overall rating: 8.5 out of 10.
