-
9.0
135410
9.0 |
DIY
A record unafraid to run off in different directions
Read Review
-
9.0
135510
9.0 |
PopMatters
Jorja Smith’s Falling or Flying is quite an accomplishment and an excellent vehicle for her estimable talents. It’s a low-key yet unequivocal triumph
Read Review
-
8.0
135411
8.0 |
NME
On her second album – featuring dancefloor heater 'Little Things' – the Walsall-raised star finds her rhythm with an expanded sonic palette
Read Review
-
8.0
135412
8.0 |
musicOMH
British soul singer returns with a coherent second album, which sees her explore and develop her own sound
Read Review
-
8.0
135413
8.0 |
Clash
Smith continues to shirk commercial viability, stripping away sheen and artifice, presenting herself as dimensional; flawed, bruised, exposed, at times disbelieving, but ultimately worthy of love
Read Review
-
8.0
135416
8.0 |
XS Noize
On occasions when some of the songs lean towards the banal, they don’t ruin the LP, but they prevent Falling or Flying from being the 2020 classic it had the potential to be
Read Review
-
8.0
135417
8.0 |
The FT
The Walsall singer follows her meteoric rise to fame with a thoughtful follow-up to her 2018 debut
Read Review
-
8.0
135419
8.0 |
Dork
Direct and incendiary on the rumbling epic of ‘Try Me’, it sets the tone for an album dealing in big themes and big sounds
Read Review
-
7.6
135448
7.6 |
Pitchfork
The UK singer’s earthy, sumptuous new album explores her ambivalent relationship to fame. It soars when it lets loose
Read Review
-
7.6
135501
7.6 |
Spectrum Culture
An effortlessly produced and performed record, falling or flying finds Jorja Smith exploring new sounds and the world around her and is a welcome follow-up to her debut
Read Review
-
7.0
135469
7.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
In the relatively short timespan since Jorja Smith’s proper introduction to large audiences, she’s already mastered the art of the slow burn – and her flame isn’t waning just yet
Read Review
-
6.0
135453
6.0 |
The Arts Desk
Jorja Smith’s neo-soul and R&B – all muscular back beats, slinky bass lines and guitar licks – sounds better than ever on falling
Read Review
-
6.0
135418
6.0 |
Loud And Quiet
Occasionally, in freefall, she’ll grab onto something familiar to steady herself – but she truly succeeds when she leans into her creative freedom
Read Review
-
6.0
135414
6.0 |
Exclaim
It's a solid effort despite some missteps — among the clutter is some of the best material of Smith's young career
Read Review
-
4.0
135415
4.0 |
Mojo
Smith often finds herself stuck in a musical straitjacket of tired R&B tropes, rarely able to break out of a narrow comfort zone. Print edition only
-