Brightest Blue
| Ellie Goulding
Brightest Blue
Brightest Blue is the fourth studio album by English singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding. It was released on 17 July 2020 through Polydor Records. Originally scheduled for 5 June 2020, the album's release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The album is preceded by three singles: "Worry About Me", "Power" and "Slow Grenade", and features guest vocals from Blackbear, Diplo, Juice Wrld, Lauv, serpentwithfeet and Swae Lee. It is Goulding's first album since Delirium (2015). -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Variety
The double album may be Goulding’s best and most complete work, a lovelorn mess of emotions atop a mass of vibrant soundscapes.
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The Irish Times
As far as famous blues go, Brightest Blue has a lot to compete with. But this is a welcome addition to the palette.
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The Independent
A career-best record full of balladry and bangers.
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Slant Magazine
For the most part, she doesn’t have the chops or soul of contemporaries like Florence Welch, who sings of similar subject matter with a real torch, and who shares a collaborator in Joseph Kearns, who produced almost every song on Brightest Blue.
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All Music
Brightest Blue's main disc is Goulding's deepest emotional journey yet, a triumph of empowerment and self-discovery.
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Stereoboard
In its best moments, it’s a muscular, euphoric journey into modern synth-pop, balancing huge melodies with clear, concise emotional beats.
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The Standard
Her breathy voice, knack for a catchy pop hook and enjoyment of dabbling in EDM — Ellie Goulding’s signature attributes are present and correct on her first album in five years. But this time around, there’s a confidence in her vocals and songwriting that wasn’t always there before.
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The Times
a distinctly characterless album.
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meaww
'Brightest Blue' is, at its core, still a pop record. But what Goulding has managed to do this time around is find a way to blend the genre's propensity for grandeur via catchy hooks with much deeper and far more honest songwriting that truly represents who she is. And from that stems an album that stands up as what is sure to be one of the top pop releases of the year.
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Vinyl Chapters
Ellie Goulding has released her fifth studio album and it’s nothing shy of perfection. Bringing together eighteen gorgeous and uplifting tracks, Goulding’s versatility is impossible to question. She makes the listener’s self-esteem skyrocket and understands that they can do just fine on their own.
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The Guardian
True, her say-what-you-see lyrics are still too pedestrian; seas remain dark and stormy, lines between opposing things are thin. Yet the music often soars. Goulding should trust herself more: she might need more ego, but she doesn’t need EG.0.
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The Young Folks
Brightest Blue may pleasantly surprise those who don’t normally frequent Goulding’s music as the opening tracks are promising, but ultimately, the album misses the mark of being a memorable project. Fans of Goulding will surely enjoy it, but lack of a cohesive sound, misplaced interludes, and tired pop production keep the album from being its best.
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The Upcoming
Brightest Blue, Ellie Goulding’s first new release in five years – though a good measure of that time was spent on tour – delivers a much-needed injection of energy, balancing a number of more thoughtful, introspective tunes – enough to ensure a good depth to the record – with perfectly-matched collaborations and chart-friendly singles.
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live4ever
Brightest Blue was never going to be many things, but such is the frightening velocity of art and culture, it feels out of time even at the moment it’s released.
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Gigwise
Brightest Blue presents itself to encapsulate everything Ellie is as an artist currently, and the artist she will live on to be.
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The Arts Desk
Goulding mixes and matches a variety of styles in a manner that exploits familiarity with just enough freshness to make it sound new.
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Thomas Bleach
‘Brightest Blue’ is one of Ellie Goulding’s strongest, most cohesive and most vulnerable records to date. It’s a stunning collection of tracks that will have you feeling a whole lot of emotions as your process your own self-discovery journey with your vulnerability.
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musicOMH
Brightest Blue sees Ellie Goulding at her most honest, yet knowing and secure. Granting the album two sides has allowed her to express both acceptance of and exasperation with her journey. The end result of this bold process is the realisation: if you don’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love someone else?
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A Bit of Pop Music
Brigthest Blue is a cohesive, mature record on which Goulding took her chance to experiment and tell her story. Sure, there ain’t not sure fire radio hits on here per se, but it does not seem to be the point of the record either.
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Your EDM
Ellie Goulding Shines On New 2-Part Album ‘Brightest Blue’.
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The Indian Music Nerd
Overall, this is probably Goulding’s most sincere and strongest effort in terms of raw artistry but it occasionally finds itself bogged down by Goulding’s or her labels inability to let go of her top 40 aspirations. A solid project to say the least.
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Pitchfork
With her fourth album, the pop songwriter reaches a welcome sense of self-assurance. But if this was supposed to be an introspective record, that’s not what’s happening musically.
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Medium
Overall, this is probably Goulding’s most sincere and strongest effort in terms of raw artistry but it occasionally finds itself bogged down by Goulding’s inability to let go of her top 40 aspirations.
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The Line of Best Fit
In short, it feels like Ellie Goulding at her most honest, and her most heartfelt.
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Riff Magazine
While it’s stylistically different, the mood on Brightest Blue harkens back to Ellie Goulding’s Halcyon record in its mysteriousness. She has a keen ability to tap into the most sensual vulnerabilities of love and relationships and reflect them in song.
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mxdwn
Brightest Blue brings out the best in Goulding with vulnerability, experimentation and cross-genre collaborations.
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The Musical Hype
Thankfully, Brightest Blue was totally worth the wait finding Goulding absolutely killing it.
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Vocal
The new album is Ellie Goulding’s best work to date. It mixes the sounds of her three previous albums and leaves only the most heartfelt and captivating elements. It blends together everything that’s great about pop music today and compliments it with notes of classical music, R&B vibes and powerful lyrics.
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Media Hype
Ellie Goulding proves she is a force to be reckoned with on Brightest Blue as she combines her past and present into a cohesive body of work.
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Flyctory
Brightest Blue is a sad album to me. It has so good elements, so good quality – in too short periods of the album. Ellie Goulding definitely proofs that she can do really good and modern pop music
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