Coming off her expertly produced pop extravaganza
Delirium, English singer/songwriter
Ellie Goulding was exhausted and jaded. After a pair of deeply intimate releases that preceded it, that 2015 set brought her international mainstream success but sacrificed her voice. Five years later,
Goulding returned with her fourth album,
Brightest Blue, a powerful reclamation of self that recaptures the simplicity of her debut and the vulnerability of
Halcyon. A double album of sorts, the primary statement has growth and maturity at its core. Atop production that incorporates lush R&B textures and atmospheric electronics,
Goulding unloads half-a-decade of personal catharsis onto these tracks, finding comfort in her own skin on the hypnotic "Ode to Myself," coming to grips with time and her decade as a stealthy hitmaker in the music business on the powerful piano-backed "Woman," and ultimately finding peace on the rousing orchestral closer "Brightest Blue." Meanwhile, on the minimalist dance bop "Tide," she channels
the xx and
Frou Frou while celebrating the thrills of new love. Her admiration of
Imogen Heap continues with the woozy interlude "Wine Drunk," which adopts similar vocal distortion as she opines on a bad relationship ("Bleach" and "How Deep Is Too Deep" further detail that pain and heartbreak). Additional highlights on this ethereal journey include the neon synth-dream pop of "Power" -- which interpolates
Dua Lipa's "Be the One" to great effect -- and the show-stopping "Love I'm Given," a rapturous dose of soul that pushes
Goulding's vocals to new limits as a gospel choir backs her cries. On a second disc dubbed "EG.0,"
Goulding -- still aware of her position as a pop star -- cannily provides a batch of radio-friendly fare for fans in need of a quick dose of serotonin, tacking on collaborations with
blackbear,
Lauv,
Diplo,
Swae Lee, and
Juice WRLD. The separation is smart, providing extra tidbits for anyone in search of "Delirium Ellie" while locking its focus on the impact of the substance found on the more rewarding main album.
Brightest Blue's main disc is
Goulding's deepest emotional journey yet, a triumph of empowerment and self-discovery.