It's 2020 and after a break of five years Lianne la Havas is back with a new album. Her last album "Blood" was released five years ago.
She needed those five years to live her life and many things had happened. Her relationship with her friend from LA ended and she needed time to recover from this situation. Also her grandmother and great grandmother passed away with whom she grew up in her youth. In 2016 Prince her musical mentor who gave her advise for her second album passed away.
Lianne with Prince live
She did a lot of home sessions to be broadcast on the internet and social media lately. Live performances are out of the question at the moment due to the COVID-19 situation worldwide. She now fully wants control of the music she makes and produced it her self. That's probably why the album is self titled as a kind of new start. But the question is if it's the right time to release a new album with everything that's going on in the world. The result is a more creative and confident work. La Havas co-wrote most of the material with Matt Hales (aka Aqualung) and others.
On the new album she uses more variatons in styles. It also includes a cover from the song "Weird Fishes" by Radiohead. "I'm born again" she sings on the album's opening track "Bittersweet" perfectly makes clear that the album reflects her life at this moment. She accompanies herself on a guitar that sets the mood more than plays the melody and allows open spaces between the phrases. "Paper Thin" and "Seven Times" show La Havas has overcome her negative experiences of the last five years.

This is the album she always wanted to make and here it is!
Original album cover
Lianne La Havas (2020)
Bittersweet / Read My Mind / Green Papaya / Can't Fight / Paper Thin (/Out of Your Mind) / Weird Fishes / Please Don't Make Me Cry / Seven Times / Courage / Sour Flower

Please Don't Make Me Cry
Green Papaya
Paper Thin