Arts & Entertainment, Features

REVIEW: “Lady Wood” is sensual and strong, yet succumbs to electro-pop norms

Pop singer Tove Lo’s newest album “Lady Wood” was released Friday. PHOTO COURTESY ISLAND/POLYDOR RECORDS
Pop singer Tove Lo’s newest album “Lady Wood” was released Friday. PHOTO COURTESY ISLAND/POLYDOR RECORDS

Tove Lo’s career has been obscured by the surge of female electro-pop singers floating on and off of the charts. This influx has become so overwhelming that the talented vocals of the Swedish singer-songwriter has been reduced in the public eye to her familiar 2014 releases, such as “Talking Body” and “Habits (Stay High).”

Though these hits give a hint toward the style the singer dwells in, they barely represent the dark sincerity of her lyrics or her true vocal talent.

Since the start of her career, Tove Lo has collaborated with artists and groups such as Coldplay, Nick Jonas, Broods and Flume, and even co-wrote Ellie Goulding’s hit “Love Me Like You Do.”

Still, her true artistic potential had been left greatly untapped. Until now.

“Lady Wood,” released Friday, is Tove Lo’s second full-length album and a follow up to the 2014 release “Queen of the Clouds.” She brings back the dark pop theme on this album, each song seeming to emanate from a level of desperate, deeply seated emotion.

It is impossible to misinterpret this collection as tame; the cover art alone could convey this message, reinforced by the overtly provocative title. The album takes command of a heightened level of feminine sensuality, focused not on seducing, but on being seduced.

“Fairy Dust (Chapter I)” begins the album with a minute-long set of deep instrumentals, setting the mood for the successive songs with a signature back beat that is similar throughout the album. This beat is most noticeable in “Influence (feat. Wiz Khalifa)” and “Cool Girl,” which mirror more closely the hits that Tove Lo has a reputation for.

Still, there is a darker presence within the lyrics of her songs, no longer about momentary pleasures or lusts. She sings of emotions long left untouched.

Title song “Lady Wood” stands out immediately with its quick rhythmic scheme and lyricism of a chorus that will likely become an electro-pop anthem in the months to come. The genre is famous for this move, layering beat and repetition over its more potent meanings in order to achieve chart-topping qualities.

In fact, this title song mirrors one of the downfalls of not only the album, but female electro-pop in general. A catchy chorus and provocative title are what will set this apart in the minds of listeners, but it greatly underplays the talent that Tove Lo actually possesses.

Songs like “True Disaster” and “Cool Girl” suffer from these same flaws; these are undoubtedly the titles that will gain the highest recognition from the entirety of the album. Though they do not betray the mood of the album entirely — the sensuality certainly still exists — there is a distinct quality of them that seems radio-ready, almost less sincere than other parts of the album.

To the acclaim of the album, the songs past the midline of “Fire Fade (Chapter II)” do not fall victim to this fault. The rest of the songs pick up the rhythmic depth that the album relies on, and the lyrics begin to follow it into sincere topics.

“Don’t Talk About It” fools the ear initially to think that it might be another radio hit. The lyric scheme reveals a depth that “Imaginary Friend” immediately picks up on. This is where Tove Lo’s dark side has the chance to indulge herself, apparently doing so once the chart-toppers are out of the way.

In all, the album deserves more than a backward glance. Tove Lo’s vocal skills are an acclaim to her career, and the songwriting that she has become adept at makes a show of power, especially in the second half of the album.

The first half falls short of her true potential, deeply entrenched in stereotypes of electro-pop that are employed purely for the sake of topping charts. But after the second division, the titles start to delve deeper into real emotions, and the sensuality scratches at something deeper than shallow lusts.

Tove Lo has struck at something critical with the release of her second album, coming closer to the sound that reflects her emotive spirit. Still, as a part of the electro-pop age, it can hardly be helped that a few of the titles fall short of what could truly be achieved in a genre less restricted by chart envy.

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