Self Esteem - A Complicated Woman (Album Review)

Photo: Scarlett Carlos Clarke

‘A Complicated Woman’ is a big swing for Rebecca Lucy Taylor, better known by her stage name Self Esteem. Her third record is her first for a bona fide major label and the follow up to ‘Prioritise Pleasure’, her thrilling  breakthrough. It struggles with that weight — while it initially appears innovative and original, it doesn’t deliver on that promise.

Things begin well with I Do And I Don’t Care, a heartfelt, raw and gritty monologue that dips in and out of sequences from Taylor’s life while seamlessly slipping into the mode of a sombre, cyclical ballad. “If I’m so empowered, why am I such a coward?” she sings.

Focus Is Power is another track filled with emotion that’s sold through both its narrative and a gospel element in its vocal arrangement.

It is also the first of many shifts in tone, its difference to the previous track providing listeners with a feeling of elation as voices join together into a collective melody. 

But, eventually, it comes to resemble a moment of temporary relief from the rest of a sombre record, only creating more confusion around what the overarching purpose of ‘A Complicated Woman’ is.

If Not Now, It’s Soon has a similar aura to Fucking Wizardry from ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ but a gloomy, bleak spine appears to run through each track, seemingly forming the album’s accent. 69’s house beat is like a sore thumb — rather than being a standout song, it just appears strange to find it here.

‘A Complicated Woman’ represents a risk taken but it doesn’t generate the perfect pay off. Sadly, it makes one wonder if it would have been wiser for Taylor to return to the same formula that set her off on her successful trajectory with album two.

Self Esteem Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:

Mon September 15 2025 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
Tue September 16 2025 - EDINBURGH Usher Hall
Thu September 18 2025 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE O2 City Hall
Sat September 20 2025 - GLASGOW Barrowland
Sun September 21 2025 - GLASGOW Barrowland
Wed September 24 2025 - DUBLIN 3Olympia Theatre
Sat September 27 2025 - MANCHESTER Academy
Sun September 28 2025 - MANCHESTER Academy
Mon September 29 2025 - MANCHESTER Academy
Fri October 03 2025 - BRISTOL Beacon
Sat October 04 2025 - BRISTOL Beacon
Sun October 05 2025 - BRISTOL Beacon
Thu October 09 2025 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
Fri October 10 2025 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
Sat October 11 2025 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
Fri October 17 2025 - BRIGHTON Centre
Sat October 18 2025 - SHEFFIELD Utilita Arena

Compare & Buy Self Esteem Tickets at Stereoboard.com.

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