The unique and soulful voice of 31 year-old Celeste has captured audiences over the years and her recent sophomore album has enhanced this through the heartfelt and intimate discussion of identity and determination.
Her instantly recognizable vocals began this nine track, 33 minute long album, “Woman of Faces”, with the opening song, “On With the Show” where the artist sings with intense power about the beauty of pushing through adversity.
An album riddled with lyrics diving into self-reflection and understanding pieces of yourself was met with the third track and project’s title, “Women of Faces,” which Clash Music named as, “The album’s beating heart.”
Lines displaying the overarching theme of the album as a whole were sprinkled throughout questioning the meaning of identity and knowing your true self.
Celeste was a mirror showing varying perspectives of seeing yourself and perspectives of conflict.
A distinctive voice bellows from Celeste but an all-consuming blend of jazz and soul can be found on this striking album.
The following track, “Happening Again,” presents an idea of Celeste making similar mistakes to her past yet still being fond of the way she is grappling with life amidst heartache.
“If all of my life without you is a verse to live and learn, Then surely I’ll emerge in one piece, And I reset the time and then you appear, The answer that has no reply,” the musician sang.
The next few songs divulge into varying emotions of finding out who you are again after losing the person you care most about.
The track, “People Always Change,” highlights this thought and connects the themes of identity, loss, love and the beauty of change that are the foundation of the album.
The closing song on this album, “This Is Who I Am,” concludes the project as a whole as Celeste compares aspects of her own self to pieces of nature.
The final lyrics are an emotional conclusion solidifying Celeste’s comfortable state with who she is, “Sunrise to sunset, This is who I am.”
The momentum the musician generated with her 2021 release, “Strange,” caused her to win Sound of 2020 poll winner, BRIT Rising Star and Mercury and Oscar nominations.
Pressures from the media, fans and her team contributed to mental health troubles that can be heard floating within this album.
“By her own admission, she was drowning in heartbreak and fell into depression after a relationship ended,” Charlotte Rochel from Shatter the Standards said.
This album is more than just heartbreak songs but rather commentary on the way self-perception can be altered because of others.
The eighth track, “Could Be Machine,” of the project promotes the dangers of letting yourself slip away and start feeling like a “machine” as Celeste questions who she is.
The singer invites audiences to listen in slight discomfort throughout this album as she sheds light on the negativities public figures like herself are faced with and the strain it has on their own view of themselves.
Stream “Woman of Faces” on all streaming platforms and stay updated with the artist through her website.
