The Pop Corporation

We fizzed with excitement when we heard Fabiana Palladino’s ‘I Can’t Dream Anymore’, and now there’s a full length debut album which saw Stereogum saying “they don’t make pop music like this anymore”, and Petridis enthusing and giving it album of the week over at The Guardian. It’s clear that Palladino is doing things differently.

And we’re not talking about some contrary, contrived nonsense here – Palladino seems to have been fine tuning and honing everything and absolutely not rushing the material in a bid to make a debut album she could be proud of. And with sophisticated ’80s sheen gleaned from Jam & Lewis classics and smatterings of power ballads, you end up with a unique take on R&B and pop, which is really nourishing stuff.

She’s said the album is “about intimacy, loneliness, dreams, desire”, which set her apart from a lot of other pop singers who have the main focus of lust and going out (not that we’re averse to such things). See, every so often, someone releases a pop LP which has crossover appeal. Usually, crossing over means from one commercial genre to another, but what we’re dealing with is a pure pop album that muso dweebs will take to. We’ve seen it with Self Esteem recently, and the reappraisal of bands like the Pet Shop Boys.

And maybe, the fact that Palladino has been letting everything marinate is one of the reasons that this album is such a gorgeous listen. We’ve seen a lot of artists jumping through the same ol’ hoops and by the time we’ve reached the second single from the album, we’re already a bit fatigued and full-up. However, we’ve seen a spate of artists moving away from the hamster wheel of promotional pop and doing things on their own terms, which speaks to a steadier pace and what feels like a better shot at longevity. RAYE worked out a better route for herself, and in the world of R&B, Tinashe has a more devoted fanbase having turned her back on the regular path.

In years gone by, artists were sometimes developed and nurtured, and that does seem like less of a concern for the modern popstar. However, Palladino has given herself the time to work on her craft, taking side gigs while she got her ducks in a row.

From the off, the LP is serious and good stuff – ‘Closer’ is richly layered with loads of room to breathe, landing between the airy soul of classic Jazmine Sullivan, but with ’80s soul keys glimmering away beneath, which you hear again in the wonderful ‘Can I Look You In The Mirror’, ‘Stay With Me Through The Night’ and ‘In The Fire’.

There’s enough variety on the LP to keep you rapt for the whole duration. ‘I Can’t Dream Anymore’, ‘Give Me A Sign’, ‘Shoulda’ and ‘Deeper’ thematically feel more steeped in classic ’80s soul music and balladeering, but all given enough of a sprinkling of 2024 so no-one can say it’s a pastiche or too fawning in praise.

Running at just over half-an-hour and 10 tracks, there’s something wonderfully concise about this whole project. There’s no gaming the algorithm, there’s no sense of over-indulgence, and often, songs feel huge even though so much of them have been paired back. Think of the elegance of Sade records – while Palladino’s album is quite different – there’s a depth and richness, but so much room to breathe for the listener. It’s mature stuff, and it’s quite remarkable that this is a debut album, given that it sounds so fully formed straight off the bat.

On that last point, it’s very easy to say that this is one of the best debut albums in an age, because it genuinely sounds like that. It’s difficult to think of another debut as assured as this one without saying something wild and compare it to some of the all-time classic debuts in the annals of music. Time will tell of course, but this is a very rewarding body of work and improves on each listen.

There’s echoes of Chaka Khan, Anita Baker and the like, with it’s sophisticated, streamlined soul. There’s enough fun in there though, that this never gets bogged down in feeling too worthy. A line like “stand and look me in the eye – don’t you play with me, boy” feels like Jam & Lewis period Janet. It’s the swirling chaos of love and life, honed into a really confident and powerful LP.

It’s cohesive, the songs gel, and there’s not an ounce of fat anywhere. No matter what period of soul music you’re into, there’s a very strong chance that this is the album you’ve been waiting for.

Don’t sleep on this.