Olivia Dean: Messy [EMI]

Why you'll love it

Messy went Top 5 in the U.K., went gold and made the Mercury Prize shortlist. "Dive," "Carmen" and "Ladies Room" show off a voice steeped in neo-soul, R&B and classic Motown, with Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders among the collaborators.

This edition

• EMI pressing (cat# 5521589)
• 12 tracks, including "Dive," "Carmen" and "UFO"

About the album

Olivia Dean spent four EPs getting her sound just right, and when the time came for a full-length debut she knew exactly who it was for: her grandmother, who came to Britain from Guyana at 18 as part of the Windrush generation. "I knew quite early on that I wanted the whole album to be dedicated to her," Dean told Dork.

That warmth runs all the way through Messy. Working with a crew that included Matt Helders, Tre Jean-Marie and string arranger Davide Rossi, Dean pulls from neo-soul, contemporary R&B and the Motown records she grew up on, and her voice does the rest. NME praised her confidence to tackle subjects others swerve; the Mercury Prize jury agreed. This is where the Olivia Dean story starts.

Also at Kops: more Olivia Dean on vinyl · browse Pop

Tracklist

Listen

On EMI (cat# 5521589), first out in 2023.