If you have been listening to the neo-soul warmth finding its way into the charts lately, or if you read our Olive Jones piece and wanted more of that feeling, Cleo Sol’s Rose in the Dark is a very good place to go next.
Soul has a long memory, and this album sits in a beautiful corner of the modern UK scene: intimate, grounded and never desperate to show you how beautifully made it is.
“Why Don’t You” is probably the door in. It was for us. The lyric is simple, but the way she delivers it does the whole Cleo Sol thing in one go: soft, but not fragile; loving, but not lost.
That is where Rose in the Dark keeps finding its ground. Somewhere between wanting love and remembering you still get to choose. Somewhere between the old ache of “Young Love” and the grown calm of knowing yourself a little better than you used to.
It is a record for the late afternoon. A glass of wine. Something slow on the stove. Nothing overly fancy, but everything done with care. The kind of music that feels simple until you realise how much depth is holding it together.
Start here with Cleo Sol. Let the sauce take its time.
Listen where you listen:
