Shura has done something retro exactly the way it should be done. Much like Childhood did on their superb second album, Shura has gone back to the Seventies for lots of the inspiration for her new album, Forevher. The record, out on Friday via Secretly Canadian, is a glistening throwback gem.
While some of this, like "Side Effects", sounds a bit like The Andrea True Connection, other numbers here reveal debts owed to Prince. Like Janelle Monae, Shura has a knack for making this sort of thing sound natural, such that "Religion (U Can Lay Your Hands On Me)" is a bit of shimmering pop every bit as infectious as anything the late genius ever produced for one of his side projects. Even better is the lovely "Princess Leia", a number that's a bit silly even as it's entirely heartfelt and touching. It's a weird juxtaposition of emotions to describe in words, but, trust me, it makes sense when you hear it. "Flyin'" is candy-floss, a voyage through clouds of gossamer-like hooks, and a neat mix of the kind of thing one would have once called dream-pop with the sort of melody we'd have found years ago on a soul album. That the number sounds a tiny bit like "Again" from Janet Jackson doesn't hurt either.
Shura somehow makes all this seem natural, and not affected, with the end result being a record that positively intoxicates thanks largely to its overall vibe. Forevher really surprised this jaded old music fan, and it's also the sort of album that made me happy as I was hearing an artist take a bunch of chances that actually worked.
Forevher is out on Friday via Secretly Canadian.
More details on Shura via the official website, or the official Facebook page.
[Photo: Hollie Fernando]