Charlotte Dos Santos / Cleo

There’s been an air of excitement since the dawn of this singer’s arrival.

The name, Charlotte Dos Santos, has been sung loudly from this websites rooftops ever since she released her debut single – Watching You (2015) and since then I’ve been eager to hear her first body of collected work.

The Norwegian singer has now dropped her first album ‘Cleo’. It’s the story of a romance told with a pleasant ‘loungeful’ vibe from start to finish.

Birdsong fills the air on the album’s interlude opening ‘Sumer is Icumen In‘ – a medieval English round song (yes, from the mid-13th century) announcing summer has arrived. Charlotte Dos Santos paints the picture of warm hues and pastel tones with ease and beauty as she effortlessly invites us into her musical universe of dreamy vocals and beats.

The first track ‘Good Sign‘ is like walking in a field of flowers on a warm summer daydreaming of your sweetheart in such a nice, airy way it makes us smile.

Listening to ‘Cleo‘ it’s hard not to associate Charlotte Dos Santos vocals with Erykah Badu and Amy Winehouse, and the music tastes of Minnie Riperton. It’s a wonderful fusion of the late 60s and 70s soulful sound and today’s electro-soul.

‘Watching You‘, is a steamy hot, late night tune, so groovy it almost makes me blush. Charlotte Dos Santos’ playful, seductive vocals draw you into a fantasy sleep as she wants us to ‘fly away into the stars, dream until the sun arises’. If it weren’t for the fadeout, we probably would.

‘Move On‘, and ‘Cleo‘ continues this lovely dreamy feeling characterising the first half of the album.

The second half is more bittersweet, as the romance goes wrong with the timeless single ‘Red Clay‘. ‘King of Hearts‘ is edgier though still keeping it’s cool.

‘Take It Slow‘ is the ace of the album and the way the vocals melt together with the instruments is amazing leaving me wishing it wouldn’t end so soon.