Hope Tala - Hope Handwritten

Hope Tala writes love letters in permanent ink. Her debut album 'Hope Handwritten' arrives with the assured confidence of someone who's spent years perfecting their penmanship, each track flowing with the natural grace of well-practised cursive.

The West London artist's blend of neo-soul and R&B wraps around personal narratives with the precision of a master bookbinder, every element placed with purposeful care and full of intimate confessions bound in premium leather.

'Breaking Isn't What A Heart Is For' captures the essence of what makes this record special. Tala's velvet vocals dance through arrangements that unfold with patient beauty, each instrumental layer adding depth to her storytelling without overshadowing the raw emotion at its heart.

There are echoes of Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu in her approach, but Tala crafts something distinctly personal from these influences. Her background in literature surfaces in lyrics that are perfectly composed - direct yet poetic, immediate yet carefully considered.

The album maintains its momentum across its runtime, each track contributing essential chapters to the larger story and showing a remarkable understanding of long-form storytelling through music. With 'Hope Handwritten', Hope Tala has authored a work that deserves to be shelved alongside the artists who inspired it.