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Valere - Album Review: Colours

01 Oct 2020 // A review by Corinne Rutherford

Auckland based songwriter and producer Shana Llorando is electro-pop, RnB musical artist Valere. Recently releasing her luscious debut 13 track original album Colours, full of delightfully fresh and funky tracks, each one flowing harmoniously with warmth and honesty.

There is an electronic sound which snakes it way through each track creating a bright and buoyant tone. A youthful, vibrant vibe reflected in this album matches the colours it represents.

Valere's songwriting on Colours has been described as "beautifully-written (and frankly, super relatable) subject matter that delves deep into love, heartbreak, longing and yearning." Personally, I found it to be a touching and emotive journey of lyrical story telling.

The stand out tracks on Colours for me were: The Middle, which has a beautiful use of harmony. It is an uplifting song about letting go of demons and doubts and asks the question "what if we weren’t so scared of love". Circles is a catchy track with a good beat and a heavy dose of drum machine to back it up. Finally, the slower paced Stick Around, accompanied by piano rather than synth creating a stunning contrast.

Enriched with electro-pop, late 1990s RnB influences Colours is a very well written album. Captured emotion has been turned into a real gem, a charming album delivered with grace. A pleasure to listen to.

Rating: ( 4 / 5 )
 

About Valere

Valere is Otautahi based songwriter and producer Shana Graham whose intricate rhythms, rich melodies and new wave sounds mesh into music that’s ‘kinetic, yet warmly intimate’ (NZ Musician Magazine). An APRA Songhubs Sphere alum and International Songwriting Competition semi-finalist, Valere’s debut album colours garnered spots on ZM, BaseFM and various Spotify playlists including The Local List NZ. A recent signee to Enemy Love Records, Valere is gearing up to release her fourth project early next year with new singles even sooner.


Photo Credit: Hayden Graham

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Valere

Releases

Gold Dust
Year: 2024
Type: EP
Colours
Year: 2020
Type: Album
Blue
Year: 2016
Type: EP
Weary Eyes
Year: 2014
Type: EP

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