Five years after making her debut, Oregon born and Manchester based Nyah Grace returns with the silky smooth R&B album “Divinely Devoted”, releasing June 20th! Influenced by the likes of Estelle, Billie Holiday and Alicia Keys, this stripped back and confessional collection of songs were co-written and produced entirely with the help of De’Jour Thomas.
Standing at 31 minutes, “Divinely Devoted” is a little on the shorter side, something that I say only because it did leave me wanting a little bit more – this is an album that is not only polished to perfection, but beautifully written and delivered with stunning vocals from Nyah herself. Though the tracks don’t exactly flow seamlessly into one another, there is a consistent tone throughout that marks this a very distinct point in the singer’s history. She is, at times, both uniquely vulnerable and deeply empowering.
The album begins with the Lauryn Hill-styled “Back of the Cab”, a sensually sung tale of a tipsy female passenger “who is venting to an Uber driver about the shitty night she’s just had.” Here, Nyah says, “I’m really trying to jump out of my comfort zone lyrically.” Though a little repetitive (a choice I think is all the better to convey a drunken protagonist), the track is filled with subtle creativity, with each individual choice serving this contained journey well – the heavy exhalation at the start, a late switch so that the outro sounds as if it’s playing on a car stereo, the slamming of the door as she exits and moves into the extremely addictive “Obvious”.
“Down”, a personal favorite, was actually released ahead of the album accompanied by a late 60s and early 70s inspired music video in which Nyah Grace plays the lead role of a woman stuck in a fracturing relationship who, over the course of the video itself, chooses to pack her bags and leave. This is a rich, gospel inspired song that not only showcases Nyah’s range but also intense, layered harmonies. She said, “Writing ‘Down’ was a cathartic experience for me. It allowed me to channel the frustration, angst and eventually acceptance that came from a past relationship and the way I was treated. I loved experimenting with the space and dynamics in this song and giving my raw emotions room to breathe.”
After the brief interlude of “Fall Into You” (a simplistic track beneath a far more important voicemail from Nyah’s mother, complete with much needed maternal advice. “I was going through something really, really bad at the time,” she explained, “and I was just like having one of those moments calling my Mum every day, trying to like figure out what was going on. It’s funny because it sounds like it’s rehearsed or planned, but it wasn’t. My Mum always knows the right thing to say.”) the album continues with “I Know”. This is a slow-burn, guitar driven track that gives Nyah another chance to show off the lows of her range.
“Only Mine” was the first song co-written by Nyah and De’Jour, and the clear foundation of the entire album. “We wrote, recorded and finished that in a day,” she recalled. “His friend Abi played guitar and we were just vibing in the studio. It was really fun.” It’s soft and honeyed, which is exactly what Nyah’s voice is built for – she really shines, here, and it’s clear here that the synergy the two found in the construction of this track was exactly what she needed to continue with the rest of the album. That shows just as well with “Without Me”, while the tempo increases, again, just in time for “Aphrodite.”
Everything slows down again for “Seventeen”, a stripped back, sorrowful, piano driven ballad that has Nyah at what might be her most emotionally vulnerable. “The goal was to do that one-take, together in the room, which we pretty much did. It’s a ‘fake one-take’ as we supplemented a few little things later, but you can hear my voice breaking in there. It was super intimate.” It seems as if it’s going to stay slow for the final “I Can’t Love You”, right up until the choir joins. I loved the note that Nyah chose to end on, here, in which she manages to come across hopeful in spite of the sadness of her lyrics.
All in all, “Divinely Devoted” is both an emotionally complex, well delivered journey of one girl and a (perhaps unintentional) ode to the greats. I enjoyed the highs, and I really felt the lows, which sees her accomplish exactly what she set out to do. Nyah said, “I’ve never written songs that I feel so connected to. I’m not really worried about numbers or, you know, being mega-famous or anything, I just really hope the feeling we put into this is felt. I have so much belief in these songs.” After a live performance at the Jazz Cafe in London on July 6th, she’s desperate to take this album on the road, just as soon as she’s finished her finals at the Royal Northern College of Music. “Being able to play them live would be amazing. I’ve started translating them into a live setting with my band.”
I give the entire album an 8 out of 10!
DIVINELY DEVOTED
NEW ALBUM OUT JUNE 20 TH 2025
Pre-Order here https://orcd.co/divinelydevoted
Reviewer – Rachel Cooney