Fabiana Palladino

Fabiana Palladino is the debut album by British pop musician Fabiana Palladino. The release was recorded over the course of multiple years and has received positive reviews by critics.

Fabiana Palladino
Studio album by Fabiana Palladino
Released	5 April 2024 (2024-04-05)
Genre	Pop R&B
Length	37:27
Language	English
Label	Paul Institute XL

It was important to have them on there because they're such a big part of my life getting here. I wanted [this album] to really feel like it was me and about me. I do love those first records where it is just so direct, and it is a clear statement of an artist.

—Fabiana Palladino on recording with her musical family.

Critical reception

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Fabiana Palladino received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 from five critic scores. Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4.5 out of 5 stars, with critic Andy Kellman writing that this album "is one creatively askew pop-R&B delight after another, all voiced with captivating and confident flair by a razor-sharp songwriter", whom he compares to Prince. Harry Thorfinn-George at The Arts Desk gave Fabiana Palladino 4 out of 5 stars, characterizing the work as "a strong debut album which serves as a formal introduction to an artist who has been on the side-lines for too long". Editors at The Fader chose this among the best releases of the week, where Sandra Song called it "vulnerable, honest, and intimate... [with a] kind of raw human touch you'd expect from a D.I.Y. bedroom musician" in spite of "the sleek, hyper-produced grandeur of her '80s pop-R&B production".

In The Guardian, Alexis Petridis chose this as his album of the week, giving it 5 out of 5 stars and stated that "for all the knowing signifiers from the age of power-dressing and rolled-up suit sleeves... the album never feels like a retro exercise" and he considered it "devoid of weak tracks or ideas that don't gel, it's an album that sounds as if it was made by someone who knows exactly what she's doing" That newspaper published a second review by Shaad D'Souza who compared this music to Janet Jackson and called it "a sharp debut that knows the power of patience and tension". Sam Franzini at The Line of Best Fit rated Fabiana Palladino an 8 out of 10, characterizing it as "a near-effortless reinvention of retro pop, soul, funk, and R&B tracks with a glossy modern sheen, setting the stage for more grandiose statements in the future".

At musicOMH, Ben Devlin rated this work 4 out of 5 stars, stating that it was "surely... worth the wait" after Palladino released an intermittent series of singles for several years leading up to this album, which Devlin writes "takes inspiration from a grab bag of stars and styles, from R&B to disco, the results are sometimes charmingly retro and other times fresh and inventive". Tony Stamp of Radio New Zealand ended his review of this release, "the main thing that’s drawn me back though is the resolve in her voice, and the way she crafts melodies that evoke the past, but manage to feel current". This was Album of the Week at Stereogum, where critic Caleb Catlin cautioned listeners that "because of the production's intricately designed architecture, a listener might mistake this for a scholarly form of pop, as music that only the sophisticated avid listener can engage with" but continued that "she communicates directly, and the album is a lot punchier for it". Grant Sharples at Uproxx included Fabiana Palladino as one of the best indie music albums of the week, writing that Palladino has "carved out her own style at the nexus of indie-pop and ’80s soul, adjusting her elastic voice to suit her own vision rather than someone else’s".

On 4 June, Stereogum did a roundup of the best albums of the year so far and ranked this 19, with Tom Breihan stating that "Palladino’s voice glides over tricky beats and slippery keyboards". A similar listing on 20 June by Radio New Zealand included this in the five best albums of 2024, where Charlotte stated that Palladino's "moody and passionate self-titled solo album is worth the wait" and is "bright, strong and has such a groove".

Track listing

1. "Closer" – 3:35
2. "Can You Look in the Mirror?" – 3:19
3. "I Can't Dream Anymore" – 3:12
4. "Give Me a Sign" – 3:18
5. "I Care" – 4:18
6. "Stay with Me Through the Night" – 3:36
7. "Shoulda" – 4:29
8. "Deeper" – 3:44
9. "In the Fire" – 3:57
10. "Forever" – 3:59

Personnel

• Fabiana Palladino – instrumentation, vocals, production
• Harry Craze – production
• Steve Ferrone – drums
• Rob Moose – string arrangement
• Giancarla Palladino
• Maz Palladino
• Pino Palladino – bass guitar
• Rocco Palladino
• Jai Paul – on "I Care"
• Jamie Woon – backing vocals

See also

• 2024 in British music
• List of 2024 albums

External links

• Fabiana Palladino at Discogs (list of releases)
• Fabiana Palladino at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
• Music Tech interview