вЂњIвЂ™ll let you know when I need you to liberate meвЂќ she knowingly sings, as if sheвЂ™s held this power inside her for a lifetime. Starting quietly on whispers and plucked guitar strings, she admonishes a lover for not accepting her true self. Even though her sense of self seems diminished here, there is still power to be had in taking charge of romantic fervor, whether it be healthy or not.Д¬oming as a high point, the titular track is where the ethos of CelesteвЂ™s body of work shines through. On the sultry вЂњLove Is Back,вЂќ she flirts with the idea of diving вЂњhead firstвЂќ into a new crush. вЂњEveryday it gets so loud / Everyday I canвЂ™t turn around,вЂќ she wails over a crescendoing big band, pinpointing her struggles through an auditory lens.Д®lsewhere, Celeste croons and sighs through pleas to damaged connections, desperate to make her feelings known on songs like вЂњA KissвЂќ (вЂњBit your lip and left you swollenвЂќ) and вЂњBelovedвЂќ (вЂњIf I had my way / YouвЂ™d be here to stayвЂќ). In вЂњTell Me Something I DonвЂ™t Know,вЂќ Celeste exemplifies her anxieties with booming instrumentation. The single - which ultimately propelled her to win BBCвЂ™s Sound Of and the Brits Rising Star award last year - is sparse and reserved, held through a rasping curiosity for a failed relationship. Most of the recordвЂ™s emotional beats come from the raw, husky voice of Celeste herself - itвЂ™s why 2019вЂ™s вЂњStrangeвЂќ is still so affecting over a year later. Even while willing to carve out space in her body for endearment, she is still in charge. The consecutive tracks вЂњTonight TonightвЂќ and вЂњSomebody Stop This FlameвЂќ show CelesteвЂ™s eagerness to dominate love, taking strides in pursuing and holding on to her relationships. Radiating self confidence and assuredness, Celeste bolsters her existing catalogue of soft, somber songs with moments of upbeat glitter-funk and rollicking neo soul. What the album makes clear, however, is that one person deserves love above all else: herself. Throughout Not Your Muse, Celeste makes claims that might prove otherwise: she cares for past and future lovers, the thrill of the chase, and stellar big band arrangements. вЂњPlease donвЂ™t mistake me for somebody who cares,вЂќ she snarks with a sweet affect. Whatever the reason, Celeste doesnвЂ™t seem to mind.

Critique album muse