REVIEW: Andra Day's Cheers to the Fall

Rating: ★★★★ | A-

One of the first lyrics of Andra Day's debut album is: "Well there's nothing I can sing now that ain't been sung before." And while that may be true, the way she sings it is nothing short of exceptional. Cheers to the Fall is an obeisance to a golden age of music, a loving, masterful homage to the legacy of artists like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington and, more recently, Amy Winehouse. Little new ground is covered, but the ease with which she covers it, the way in which she manages to sound both authentic and contemporary, is artistry, plain and simple.

Andra's voice is how you might imagine Rihanna would sound if she were to impersonate Nina Simone. The music touches on most of the major '50s, '60s, and '70s styles. "Whichever chord progressions move me, whether it's rock, jazz, doo-wop or soul, I'm going to put it together and not be worried about whether people can put it in a lane or not," she told Rolling Stone in July. No doubt it was her confidence and comfort with this canon that led none other than Stevie Wonder to take her under his wing when he heard her playing in a local nightclub. He introduced her to Adrian Gurvitz, who in turn signed her to his production company.