Nili Hadida - Nili Hadida

The Guardian 60

(AllPoints France)

Tel Aviv-born singer Nili Hadida’s Paris-based folk duo, Lilly Wood & the Prick, initially made most impact in France until German DJ-producer Robin Schulz’s 2014 remix of Prayer in C gave them an international chart-topper. After parting ways with her musical partner, Benjamin Cotto, Hadidi’s solo debut quietly edges away from the folk-meets-dance direction of that smash hit. Producer Christian Rich (who has worked with NERD and Diddy) and mixer Jimmy Douglass (whose collaborators include Björk and Kanye West) have crafted a gently electronic pop framework in which confessional vocals float over subtle clubby beats and orchestrations: minimalist soul meets Portishead.

The partly spoken lyrics have a quiet darkness and openness, addressing self-doubt, hurt and unidentified struggles. A Lot Too Much says plenty with its raw opening line: “It’s been a hard couple of years.” Another Drink takes dreamy refuge in hedonism’s “high road out to nowhere”. There are some lovely moments. Gold Memories finds her yearning to be able to reminisce about a love affair on a beach, and “letting your skin dry and shiver”. Covered in Luck survives awkwardly rhyming “high” with “as the sky” to become anthemic. The hymnal Frank Ocean homage Frank has another eye-popping opener – “If I admit that I’m afraid to die” – and This Way gently rebuffs a controlling figure.