Dido
Safe Trip Home

THE REVIEW

"I have left a million stars

 and an ocean light and cleary blue

 i have left the warmth of the sun

 and a million adventures not yet begun"

                                       "Northern skies"

With the previous "Life For Rent," something was already hinted at, the desire to go beyond an impactful electronic sound that supported her delicate voice, which distinguished her debut. Four years later, here is the English Dido Armstrong with her third LP; a sufficiently long time to thoughtfully consider the new work and attempt to make some advances.

"Safe Trip Home" confirms that the artist of "Thank You" and "White Flag" has gone beyond her initial production. It is a complex, very intimate, and challenging album. At first listening, one might feel a bit disoriented; there is no easily catchy pop track, and right from the opening of "Don't Believe In Love," it shows a more acoustic sound with a very subtle electronic backdrop. Indeed, the rest of the album is an immersion in small songs built on delicate vocal threads where the words weigh as much as the sounds. The petite English artist now also carves out more space for herself as a musician, playing the acoustic guitar in addition to the keyboards, and in "Quiet Times" she returns to her first love, the drums. A very essential drumming supports a delicate yet perfect melody. This album is full of excellent songs, "The Day Before The Day," "It Comes It Goes," "Burnin Love," which possess their own soul and reflect that of the author, who, despite having a limited vocal range, always manages to get the most from her performances, and live, she is very talented, and her songs have a great impact even in their live rendition. Notable are the two tracks that make greater use of electronic sounds, very atmospheric nonetheless, "Grafton Street" with Brian Eno and the concluding and beautiful "Northern Skies."

With "Safe Trip Home," Dido proves to be a very interesting artist for the future, and in the end, the challenge of the third LP has been overcome very well.