Stand For Myself

In her 2nd release Yola expands her repertoire by adding soul, gospel, and pop influences to her country/blues base. Produced & co-written by Dan Auerbach (Black Keys)the disk features sublime instrumentation that never overshadows her great vocal styling. Not surprisingly for a black women trying to make it in country music, thematically it centers on overcoming adversity while remaining hopeful or in her words: “The album is like a window into my mind, my life experiences, my politics, my hopeful and sentimental sides, and my hope for humanity at large,”

RIYL: Tina Turner, Elton John

1 Barely Alive - slow & soulful, vocals really shine (slow, 3:36)**:
2 Dancing Away In Tears - nice opening horns with disco feel (med, 3:48)
3 Diamond Studded Shoes - fun & uptempo with motown vibe (fast, 3:25)***
4 Be My Friend - soulful & sumptuous with Brandi Carlile on back vocals (med, 3:29)**
5 Great Divide - slow, waltz (slow, 3:36)*
6 Starlight - bluesy (slow, 4:03)**
7 If I Had To Do It All Again - full orchestration (med, 3:47)
8 Now You're Here - disco feel with McCrary sisters on back vocals (med, 4:09)
9 Whatever You Want - (fast, 3:53)
10 Break The Bough - uptempo with nice horns about losing her mother (fast, 3:21)
11 Like A Photograph - country-pop vibe (med, 5:03)
12 Stand For Myself - ode to persevering through adversity with soaring vocals & driving guitar (med, 4:14)***