Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Born in England, raised in Nigeria and a member of London-based gospel collective GK Real, singer/songwriter Lánre has had a wide range of cultural influences to draw upon in the making of her debut solo release. The end result is a varied piece of work that sees the soft-voiced songstress mix African songs such as the tender "Prayer (Oun Gbogbo)" and "Má Gbagbé" with numbers that will appeal to a more mainstream market whilst maintaining a clutter-free acoustic approach to proceedings. Although Lánre references her faith in tracks like "Love Way", she is careful to focus more on universal topics such as body image in "Beautiful" and oppression in "Running" (featuring rapper Karl Nova) to ensure that her songs connect with believer and non-believer alike. Arguably at her best in fuller-sounding and more commercial numbers such as the wonderfully catchy "Sophia" and the socially conscious "Taste Of Freedom", it's easy to see why Lánre is fast becoming a festival and radio playlist regular.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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