OK – LEAH

There is something immediately inviting about OK, the second album by Norwegian artist LEAH. From the opening moments, you can hear a group of musicians fully connected to her lyrical expressions. The result is an album that carries warmth, movement and personality throughout its 38-minute runtime.

For those unfamiliar with LEAH’s debut, OK continues her soulful and jazz-inspired direction while sounding more assured in its songwriting and arrangements. Full name Leah Engevold, the singer-songwriter leans heavily into atmosphere and musicianship here, allowing the band to become just as important to the storytelling as the vocals themselves. Horns swell naturally into tracks, rhythms breathe, and every instrument feels given space to speak.

The album opens with the standout moment Casino, and honestly, it is difficult not to fall for it instantly. Jazzy, soulful and alive with energy, the track feels like a live session halfway in the sunshine. It is the perfect album opener because once you arrive there, you want to stay.

Casino also carries that rare feeling of discovery. The kind of song that would fit effortlessly into a ‘Tiny Desk performance’ and leave viewers wondering how they had somehow missed an artist this good. LEAH has the kind of musicality that deserves a much wider audience, and tracks like this make a strong case for it.

The following track Boomerang continues the momentum beautifully. Soulful chords, detailed horn arrangements and shifting dynamics give the song real scale. The instrumentation never feels crowded despite its richness. Instead, every part has its own voice, creating a listening experience that rewards attention.

Umbrella slows the pace slightly but keeps the emotional connection intact. LEAH’s soft refrain of “don’t worry, I’ve got you” lingers comfortably inside the arrangement. That understated vocal approach becomes one of the album’s strengths. Her voice is cotton-soft, soulful and restrained without ever fading into the background. She never forces emotion, yet the songs remain deeply engaging.

There is also a distinctly Scandinavian identity running through OK. Fans of Nordic soul and jazz will likely recognise shades of acts such as Fieh in the looseness of the grooves and the blend of soul, jazz and alternative textures. At times, there are even flashes of soul-hop phrasing in the songwriting that naturally pull you into singing along.

One of the album’s strongest qualities is how easy it is to sit with for long periods. Even tracks stretching beyond the four and five-minute mark never become exhausting. The extended version of Tired, despite its title, still manages to hold attention through atmosphere and arrangement alone.

That said, the album does lose a little momentum as it progresses. The opening stretch reaches such impressive heights that this listener found himself hoping for another moment to match the dizzying charm of Casino later in the album. The engagement never disappears completely, but the latter half does not quite hit with the same immediacy as those early tracks.

Still, OK remains more than ok (Sorry, I had to!) and it’s an album worth hearing. It captures something distinctive about Norwegian soulful, jazzy music and highlights how Scandinavian artists continue to shape their own identity within the genre. LEAH has created a record filled with elegantly scripted lyrics, expressive musicianship and beautifully balanced arrangements that feel unmistakably Nordic in tone.

For this writer, OK lands at a strong 4 out of 5. Start from the beginning and stay with it, because LEAH is absolutely worth your listening time.