For All We Know

Nao

For All We Know

Debut full-length album from the London-born R&B artist who was part of the BBC’s Sounds of 2016

ADM rating[?]

7.8

Label
RCA
UK Release date
29/07/2016
US Release date
05/08/2016
  1. 9.0 |   Exclaim

    The experiences feel lived and the emotional crescendos genuine, but the inferred vagueness of the title belies the certainty at its core: For All We Know is a masterwork
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  2. 8.5 |   The 405

    As we look forward to a happier time, less insufferable, NAO shares a bit of bliss in her coming-out party as one of R&B’s most promising young dominants
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  3. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    Her emotional gradients are defined by her outstanding grasp on texturing both her voice and her electronics, and the production of the record allows this skill to come to the forefront of her debut
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  4. 8.0 |   NME

    More proof, if it were needed, that Nao – and her odd but addictive vocal – belongs up front
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  5. 8.0 |   All Music

    Somehow, Joshua counteracts and complements the clinical quality in much of the production work
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  6. 8.0 |   Gig Soup

    One of the debuts of the year
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  7. 8.0 |   Beardfood

    A great debut album
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  8. 8.0 |   Q

    A star in the making happier playing the long game. Print edition only

  9. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    There is no clearer sense that she is untangling the mess of a painful relationship on nearly every song. But when heartache sounds so irresistibly groovy, it’s impossible to look away
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  10. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    She’s far from the finished article but she’s old enough to know what she’s doing and For All We Know is the sound of a woman taking control of her destiny
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  11. 8.0 |   The Observer

    Throughout, Nao balances some very aerated sulking about unsatisfactory relationships with defiantly old-school touches. You can hear everyone from Janet Jackson to Aaliyah in this confident artist’s deceptively dreamy tones
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  12. 8.0 |   Spin

    Whether or not NAO is “Girlfriend” material — to cite the demure-yet-hopeful ballad that closes this sensational debut — she’s evolving into an artist serious pop listeners can commit to
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  13. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    The Londoner’s debut, featuring funk enigma AK Paul and a series of voice memos, combines the honeyed with the industrial
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  14. 8.0 |   DIY

    Impossibly coherent; the product of earned wisdom welded to raw talent
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  15. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    For All We Know is among the most impressive debut albums we’ve heard in 2016, and heralds the arrival of Nao as a unique and fascinating figure on the R&B landscape
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  16. 7.9 |   Pitchfork

    Nao autopsies various relationships—with friends, lovers, outgrown versions of herself—and, having decided what went wrong, calmly takes down the perpetrators
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  17. 7.5 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    As it stands, it’s a moderate success following her appearance on Disclosure’s Caracal and Samsung commercials
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  18. 7.5 |   Consequence Of Sound

    NAO’s songs often delve into lyrical tropes from ’80s and ’90s R&B with their straightforward woes and thrills of romance. It should come across as trite, yet NAO reinvigorates these ideas with her captivating vocals and wondrous production
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  19. 7.0 |   Clash

    Aside from the handful of voice memos scattered throughout the LP, there’s not a single redundant track
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  20. 6.0 |   NOW

    For All We Know could make a stronger statement, but that doesn’t change the fact that Nao’s voice is one of the most exciting – and fun to listen to – in modern R&B
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Nao: For All We Know

  • Download full album for just £4.49
  • 1. Intro (Like Velvet) £0.99
  • 2. Get to Know Ya £0.99
  • 3. Inhale Exhale £0.99
  • 4. Voice Memo 161 £0.99
  • 5. Happy £0.99
  • 6. Voice Memo 162 £0.99
  • 7. Adore You £0.99
  • 8. In the Morning £0.99
  • 9. Trophy £0.99
  • 10. Bad Blood £0.99
  • 11. DYWM £0.99
  • 12. We Don't Give A £0.99
  • 13. Give Me a Little £0.99
  • 14. Fool to Love £0.99
  • 15. Voice Memo 4 (Say Yes) £0.99
  • 16. Blue Wine £0.99
  • 17. Girlfriend £0.99
  • 18. Feels Like £0.99
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