ESKA
Studio album by
Eska
Released27 April 2015
Genre
Length35:17
Label
  • Naim
  • Earthling Recordings
Producer
Eska chronology
Gatekeeper
(2013)		 ESKA
(2015)

ESKA is the eponymous debut album of British singer-songwriter Eska, released on 27 April 2015.[1] The album was released in collaboration with Naim Records and Eska's own Earthling Recordings. It was shortlisted for the 2015 Mercury Music Prize.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic82/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
Independent On Sunday[3]
The Observer[4]
musicOMH[5]
The 405[6]
Uncut8/10[7]
Evening Standard4/5[8]
Financial Times4/5[9]

Upon release, ESKA was received with acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 82, based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The Observer wrote that ESKA was a "mind-bending gem", offering particular praise for "This Is How a Garden Grows".[4] Praise for "This Is How a Garden Grows" was mirrored in Mixmag who made it a Tune of the Month writing "...having toured and performed with Grace Jones, The Cinematic Orchestra.[10] Writing for Uncut, John Lewis praised Eska escaping of her influences saying, "so distinctive and confessional is Eska's voice she's created a British pastoral music that defies classification".[7] Writing for the Independent on Sunday, Howard Male said of the album, "Only a couple of times a decade does a new artist come along who so impresses that I find myself getting excited about what they’ll do next, even as I’m still assimilating their debut." In describing ESKA, Male calls the album "touching, powerful, experimental and sensuous – you could pick just about any positive adjective and it would apply," and in describing the individual tracks, the reviewer states that "each song here is both an independent entity of striking originality and a vital part of a truly cohesive album that is sure to be deemed a classic in decades to come."

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."This Is How a Garden Grows"
3:52
2."Gatekeeper"
  • Eska Mtungwazi
  • Eska
  • David Okumu
4:59
3."Rock of Ages"
  • Eska Mtungwazi
  • Edward Maclean
  • Eska
  • Matthew Herbert
4:29
4."Boundaries"
  • Eska Mtungwazi
  • Eska
  • Matthew Herbert
3:54
5."She's in the Flowers"
  • Eska Mtungwazi
  • Anselmo Netto
  • Eska
  • Matthew Herbert
  • David Okumu
3:10
6."Shades of Blue"
  • Eska
  • Leroy Robinson
  • John McLaughlin
  • Eska Mtungwazi
  • Louis Hackett
4:04
7."Heroes & Villains"
  • Eska Mtungwazi
  • Eska
  • Louis Hackett
3:03
8."To Be Remembered"
  • Eska Mtungwazi
  • Eska
  • Matthew Herbert
3:04
9."Dear Evelyn"
  • Eska Mtungwazi
  • Eska
  • Louis Hackett
2:01
10."So Long Eddy"
  • Louis Hackett
  • Eska Mtungwazi
  • Louis Hackett
  • Eska
2:41
Total length:35:17
Japanese edition bonus tracks[11]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
11."Red"
  • Eska
  • Jesse Hackett
  • Robin Mullarkey
  • Eska
  • Matthew Herbert
  • David Okumu
5:18
12."Dear Evelyn" (Song Version)
  • Eska Mtungwazi
  • Eska
  • Louis Hackett
1:59
Total length:42:42

References

  1. ↑ "ESKA by ESKA". bandcamp. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "ESKA by ESKA". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  3. ↑ Male, Howard (26 April 2015). "ESKA - ESKA". Independent on Sunday.
  4. 1 2 Mardles, Paul. "Eska - session singer takes centre stage with 'mind-bending gem'". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  5. ↑ Paton, Daniel (28 April 2015). "Eska - Eska". musicOMH. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Bignon, Lyle (28 April 2015). "ESKA - ESKA". The 405. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  7. 1 2 Lewis, John (May 2015). "Eska - ESKA". Uncut.
  8. ↑ Godwin, Richard (24 April 2015). "Eska - ESKA". Evening Standard.
  9. ↑ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (24 April 2015). "ESKA: ESKA - Review". Financial Times.
  10. ↑ "Tune Of The Month: ESKA - This Is How The Garden Grows". Mixmag. April 2015.
  11. ↑ "Eska" (in Japanese). p-vine.jp. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
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