Lovegaze is the debut album by American singer and harpist Nailah Hunter, released on January 12, 2024, through Fat Possum Records. It was produced by Cicely Goulder and received acclaim from critics.
| Lovegaze | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Nailah Hunter | ||||
| Released | January 12, 2024 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:39 | |||
| Label | Fat Possum | |||
| Producer | Cicely Goulder | |||
| Nailah Hunter chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background and recording
editHunter wrote and recorded the album in England with producer Cicely Goulder, and also collaborated with electronic music composer Ben Lukas Boysen.[1]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 83/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Clash | 6/10[3] |
| Mojo | [4] |
| Paste | 8.0/10[5] |
| Pitchfork | 7.9/10[6] |
| Uncut | 8/10[7] |
Lovegaze received a score of 83 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on seven critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[2] Uncut felt that "whether deployed as a meditation aid or an object for more focused listening, Lovegaze succeeds handily",[7] while Mojo called it "a treat, like listening to an oracle from the depths of a digital cave".[4] AllMusic's Paul Simpson found that the album "places more of a focus on Hunter as a singer and songwriter rather than a harpist", in which regard she has "grown considerably as a vocalist", and also that it "demonstrates Hunter's range from soundscape weaver to art-pop maverick, and her music is never less than bewildering".[1]
Paste's Devon Chodzin wrote that on Lovegaze, Hunter's "ambient impulses are foundational but nowhere near the totality" as she "assembles the most bewitching elements of soul and folk to create something transfixing, otherworldly and almost New Age in style".[5] Madison Bloom of Pitchfork found that Hunter "emerges as a dexterous player and loose but imaginative composer" as "she cleverly incorporates elements of contemporary R&B, pop, and jazz".[6] Matthew Neale, reviewing the album for Clash, described it as a "promising debut album, then, with scintillating nods to the artist Hunter might yet become, one perhaps ready to write her own mythologies".[3]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Strange Delights" | 3:40 |
| 2. | "Through the Din" | 3:43 |
| 3. | "Finding MIrrors" | 3:42 |
| 4. | "000" | 3:55 |
| 5. | "Lovegaze" | 4:51 |
| 6. | "Bleed" | 3:49 |
| 7. | "Adorned" | 4:12 |
| 8. | "Cloudbreath" | 3:07 |
| 9. | "Garden" | 4:40 |
| 10. | "Into the Sun" | 5:00 |
| Total length: | 40:39 | |
References
edit- ^ a b c Simpson, Paul. "Nailah Hunter – Lovegaze Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ a b "Lovegaze by Nailah Hunter Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Neale, Matthew (January 9, 2024). "Nailah Hunter – Lovegaze | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ a b "Nailah Hunter – Lovegaze". Mojo. February 2024. p. 86.
- ^ a b Chodzin, Devon (January 12, 2024). "Lovegaze is Nailah Hunter's Scintillating Meditation on Nature and Resilience". Paste. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
a brilliant next step into the intersection between alt-pop and New Age
- ^ a b Bloom, Madison (February 2, 2024). "Nailah Hunter: Lovegaze Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ a b "Nailah Hunter – Lovegaze". Uncut. January 2024. p. 31.