Dido
Still On My Mind

In the early 2000s, Dido's star seemed destined to shine much brighter than it eventually did.

We are talking about a singer-songwriter who, with her trusty brother Rollo Armstrong, managed to sell twenty-one million copies of her excellent debut “No Angel” (with a decisive collaboration with Eminem, who decided to sample the verse of her “Thank You” for the mega-hit “Stan”), as well as to confirm her great success with the subsequent “Life For Rent”: both albums are among the best-selling of that decade in the UK.

We are talking about an artist with crystalline talent and remarkable interpretative abilities, who did not achieve what she deserved, partly due to her own mistakes (the decision to stop collaborating with her brother was, in hindsight, not a wise move), and partly due to a market eager to discard what is no longer in fashion.

The comeback of the beautiful British singer-songwriter arrives this year with “Still On My Mind,” her fifth studio effort; noteworthy is the return of the trusty Rollo (“I would never have released a new album without him”), along with a highly classy single like “Give You Up,” which with a sparse piano arrangement and an inspired melody effectively presents an inspired and engaging album, written and recorded in total relaxation (“we even recorded on the living room couch”).

An album composed of two distinct souls: one that is typically Dido, with sparse and simple ballads, absolutely effective in showcasing the interpretative skills of the 47-year-old former prodigy. Besides the single, this category includes the excellent “Some Kind Of Love” and the closing track “Have To Stay.”

But Dido does not only dabble in soft and romantic ballads: throughout the twelve tracks that make up the album, there is room for trip hop, electro-folk, and even dance influences (“Hell After This”). A mix of styles with the common denominator provided by a perfect performance by Dido, maintaining her typical cold and aloof yet engaging and never banal approach.

An excellent return, marking a restart for an artist who has been too underestimated so far.

Best track: Some Kind Of Love