Rita Ora - Phoenix (Album Review)

Rita Ora is one of the most successful singles artists in the history of the UK charts and a regular collaborator with some of the most powerful brands in fashion, music and film. Until recently, though, she had only one album to her name.

Her second LP, 'Phoenix', is a collection that mixes several already successful songs with new, anthemic arrangements, and follows an energy-sapping six years after her debut, ‘Ora’. Dedicated to her late friend Avicii, the EDM star and mind behind their collaboration Lonely Together, this is a full stop to a tumultuous season in Ora's career.

After years of legal wrangling and a tabloid-fodder split with Calvin Harris that reportedly involved new music being shelved, 'Phoenix' is so named as a nod to resilience and dedication. The album will be received with roaring applause from a vast and patient fanbase, and Ora caters perfectly to those who have followed her trajectory to date.

From convoluted R&B through certified pop moves, Ora handles the vocal arrangements on ‘Phoenix’ impressively and with plenty of conviction. That bar is set high, but she remains steady throughout. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for her creative development as she fails to experiment with more progressive genres or themes.

‘Phoenix’ is a predictable display of bangers, composed to generate cash and soundtrack adverts, even if  Let me Love You and Girls are undeniably catchy. Similarly New Look and Falling to Pieces strike a melodic and evocative chord. But with so much pressure building over a period of six years the album falters, feeling irrelevant at times—its songs have aged so much they fall short of arriving the here and now.

With so much negativity compiled prior to its release, it’s commendable that optimism, hope and good energy resonate from 'Phoenix'. So even if this loud, outspoken songwriter is not to your taste, her work here should inspire respect. This moment belongs to Ora, a woman who has struggled to be recognised and survive the ferocious undercurrents in the music industry. She represents herself with dignity and is a powerful female role model—an example of what can be achieved with the right attitude.

Rita Ora Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:

Tue May 21 2019 - CARDIFF Motorpoint Arena
Wed May 22 2019 - BOURNEMOUTH Bournemouth Int'nl Centre
Fri May 24 2019 - LONDON O2 Arena
Sat May 25 2019 - BIRMINGHAM Arena
Mon May 27 2019 - LIVERPOOL Liverpool Echo Arena
Tue May 28 2019 - LEEDS first direct Arena
Wed May 29 2019 - GLASGOW SSE Hydro

Click here to compare & buy Rita Ora Tickets at Stereoboard.com.

More Reviews from Milly McMahon

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LSD - LSD

Khalid - Free Spirit

These New Puritans - Inside The Rose

Gesaffelstein - Hyperion

Solange - When I Get Home

Little Simz - GREY Area

Lil Pump - Harverd Dropout

Cass McCombs - Tip of the Sphere

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