Jorja Smith - Lost & Found

Rating:

There are moments here that would give even the most jaded listener goosebumps.

Two songs were all it took to raise Jorja Smith from underground R&B star to a mainstream phenomenon last year, upstaging Drake on his own album/mixtape/whatever it is. After the release of 'More Life', Jorja Smith live shows went from modestly attended by day one fans to sold-out spectacles. It was a leap to prominence that had been a long time coming.

Since releasing the devastatingly pointed 'Blue Lights' at the start of 2016, Smith has captured the spirit of teenage life in Britain. It’s the soundtrack to sitting on the swings of your local park, setting the world to rights one cigarette and pack of tinnies at a time.

'Lost & Found' is very much like what came before. Honest and critical yet still fuelled by optimism that things will get better, all carried by Smith’s staggeringly emotional vocals. It’s the first time in a long time where it feels like the realities of teenage life has been properly represented, rather than a saccharine ideal.

'Teenage Fantasy' sets this stage out well, as Smith sings 'When we are young / we all want someone / who we think is the one / just to fit in'. There’s no looking back at those formative years with rose-tinted glasses here. Smith is more concerned with pulling back the curtain to reveal the grimy side of life.