Nothing Gold Can Stay / Tilde

Blues, soul, jazz and such genres seem very often to spend an unhealthy amount of time looking back, celebrating their past glories, often afraid to break from the templates and traditions they have set for themselves. And as much as the purists are happy with that, every music genre has to look to the future, evolve and strike out into a bright new musical sunrise. And that is precisely what Tilde does on her long-awaited debut album – Nothing Gold Can Stay.

There is something in the intricate threads of the opening song – All About The Man that reassures the listener that this is more than just another backward glancing exercise. For all its gentle, soulful vibes and slightly retro feel, there are sonic touches, musical choices being made, modern creative attitudes on display that mark this out as a forward-thinking album, or at least one happy to wander wilfully between past, present and future. Tilde, it would seem, is all about evolution not revolution and that is as it should be.

soulfulness and jazz intricacies

And across ten effortlessly cool tracks, she blends exquisite soulfulness and jazz intricacies but also pop accessibility and modern R&B sass. And for every – Are You Willing, a song that offers a wonderful 60’s soul-pop vibe, songs such as – Take A Little More are happy to play to a modern mainstream audience.

She covers timeless balladry with the spacious and beguiling – God Knows I Haven’t Lived Yet and the title song itself, genre-hops into a sort of country-soul sound on – You’ve Been Burned and breaks out the rock chick with – I Should Have Loved Your Friend. It’s an album that is somehow eclectic yet sonically cohesive at the same time, which is an art in itself.

It’s a great album, one that drips with retro-vibes but which never feels like anything other than it was made for today’s, and hopefully tomorrows audience, an audience not weighed down by expectation and who, like Tilde herself, understands that genres have had their day, and good music is where you find it. And Nothing Gold Can Stay is certainly good music.

Actually, make that great music.