Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Yola was Eleanor McEvoy's follow-up to the lavishly produced pop record Snapshots, but the two records could hardly be farther apart in instrumentation. Recorded semi-live, set entirely in sparse piano-guitar-and-drum arrangements, and conceptually centered around McEvoy's partnership with classically trained pianist Brian Connor, Yola seems to find its guiding principle in its final song, which celebrates "something so wonderful, something so pure." The purity of the arrangements is indeed wonderful. McEvoy sings "Seasoned Love" in a piano-only performance that sounds like a number from a Stephen Sondheim musical, and goes a step sparser on "Isn't It a Little Late?," which is backed only by drums. But despite the vast change in instrumentation, very little separates McEvoy's songwriting on Yola from her Snapshots work. Most of these songs could easily be padded with strings, electric guitar, and synthesizers and hold up well on the earlier album. The minimal settings on Yola demonstrate what so many other barebones efforts have shown: that good songs are still good when stripped to their essentials, that less is often more, and that complexity isn't always an improvement. But then, neither is simplicity. Simple arrangements showcase an artist's fundamental strengths -- in McEvoy's case, her beautifully and skillfully crafted melodies and evocative vocals -- but they can also reveal an artist's weaknesses. Snapshots seemed an attempt to cast McEvoy as a new Sarah McLachlan, but the former lacks the latter's proficiency as a guitarist and intricacy of lyrical expression. McEvoy seems to write about only two subjects, lost love and found love, and she tends to rely on well-worn clichés like rain as a symbol for hardship and "me and you" as a central rhyme. Still, those weaknesses only contribute to the directness and purity of the recordings, and McEvoy's melodies are easily strong enough to stand on their own.
© Evan Cater /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
Eleanor McEvoy, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist
1999 Market Square 1999 Market Square
Eleanor McEvoy, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist
1999 Market Square 1999 Market Square
Eleanor McEvoy, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist
1999 Market Square 1999 Market Square
Eleanor McEvoy, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist
1999 Market Square 1999 Market Square
Eleanor McEvoy, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist
1999 Market Square 1999 Market Square
Eleanor McEvoy, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist
1999 Market Square 1999 Market Square
Eleanor McEvoy, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist
1999 Market Square 1999 Market Square
Eleanor McEvoy, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist
1999 Market Square 1999 Market Square
Eleanor McEvoy, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist
1999 Market Square 1999 Market Square
Eleanor McEvoy, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist
1999 Market Square 1999 Market Square
Eleanor McEvoy, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist
1999 Market Square 1999 Market Square
Album review
Yola was Eleanor McEvoy's follow-up to the lavishly produced pop record Snapshots, but the two records could hardly be farther apart in instrumentation. Recorded semi-live, set entirely in sparse piano-guitar-and-drum arrangements, and conceptually centered around McEvoy's partnership with classically trained pianist Brian Connor, Yola seems to find its guiding principle in its final song, which celebrates "something so wonderful, something so pure." The purity of the arrangements is indeed wonderful. McEvoy sings "Seasoned Love" in a piano-only performance that sounds like a number from a Stephen Sondheim musical, and goes a step sparser on "Isn't It a Little Late?," which is backed only by drums. But despite the vast change in instrumentation, very little separates McEvoy's songwriting on Yola from her Snapshots work. Most of these songs could easily be padded with strings, electric guitar, and synthesizers and hold up well on the earlier album. The minimal settings on Yola demonstrate what so many other barebones efforts have shown: that good songs are still good when stripped to their essentials, that less is often more, and that complexity isn't always an improvement. But then, neither is simplicity. Simple arrangements showcase an artist's fundamental strengths -- in McEvoy's case, her beautifully and skillfully crafted melodies and evocative vocals -- but they can also reveal an artist's weaknesses. Snapshots seemed an attempt to cast McEvoy as a new Sarah McLachlan, but the former lacks the latter's proficiency as a guitarist and intricacy of lyrical expression. McEvoy seems to write about only two subjects, lost love and found love, and she tends to rely on well-worn clichés like rain as a symbol for hardship and "me and you" as a central rhyme. Still, those weaknesses only contribute to the directness and purity of the recordings, and McEvoy's melodies are easily strong enough to stand on their own.
© Evan Cater /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 00:46:47
- Main artists: Eleanor McEvoy
- Composer: Eleanor McEvoy
- Label: Market Square
- Genre: Electronic Lounge
1999 Market Square 1999 Market Square
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.