Eliza Shaddad - The Woman You Want (2021) [Hi-Res]

Produced by BJ Jackson (Childcare/To Kill A King), mixed by Grammy Award winner Sam Okell (PJ Harvey/Celeste/Graham Coxon), mastered by Tim Rowkins (Rina Sawayama) and featuring guest appearances from the likes of Micheal Jablonka (Michael Kiwanuka) on guitar, 'The Woman You Want' is a journey that celebrates the full spread of Eliza’s musical range and writing prowess.

Sprawling from the introspective folk-influenced sounds of ‘Blossom', to the sharp post-grunge strums of 'Fine & Peachy', to the achingly beautiful string-laden soundscapes of 'In The Morning (Grandmother Song)', Eliza’s raw riff-driven cinematic trademark sound is at the forefront throughout.

Lead single ‘Heaven' is a call to hope and a plea to keep going. Written whilst Eliza was visiting family in hospital and then later in the first UK lockdown, the single and the video are a poignant reminder that life can get better and it's worth holding on to. This theme is threaded through much of the album - Eliza Shaddad explains. “I was wrestling with the idea of wanting to be a better human, a better woman, a better wife, better friend, better daughter while writing and recording… and not really feeling capable of it… so I was asking myself all these questions - and as a result the record, and even the title 'The Woman You Want' is me trying to find a way out of that - and a direct challenge to what we expect of ourselves.”

More than anything, 'The Woman You Want' is Shaddad’s melding of the myriad, kaleidoscopic influences that make this such a vivid listening experience. It’s a reconciliation of culture, identity, the traditional and the brand new; the culmination of a year’s work and a moving portrait of a truly unique artist.