Walk through fire

"For all the richness of her dramatic retro soul, British singer-songwriter Yola's words make an immediate, concrete connection. The country-righteous title of her debut album, for example, was inspired not by the flames of love, but by a real house fire. She has plenty more troubles she could draw on, from childhood poverty outside Bristol to homelessness on the streets of east London, but Walk Through Fire's overriding mood is glorious, sun-soaked southern contentment, from the resplendent expanse of Yola's strong, versatile voice to the liquid steel, fiddle and Wurlitzer on the likes of It Ain't Easier and Faraway Look. The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, in his Nashville studio - with storied session players and contributions from Dan Penn, who co-wrote The Dark End of the Street in 1967 - summons a retro warmth that avoids the dressup novelty of a Candie Payne or a Duffy, from the slink of Keep Me Here to the Dusty-ish high orchestral drama of Lonely the Night".

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""Discovered" by the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach after he viewed a video of her performing in a Nashville bar, he produced British singer and musician Yola's debut record Walk Through Fire for his Easy Eye Sound label. Auerbach and a team of musician's compliment and back-up Yola's endearing vocals and the beauty is clearly written and performed on each track".

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