Reviewed by Tony Cummings

ndra is a Grammy-nominated R&B/soul diva and this album of love and lost love songs released in 2015 has been well received by the US audience. It certainly shows the breadth of the talent of the California-based singer and songwriter, the lady being able to execute jazz-tinged numbers like the title track; the Latin funk of "Only Love" and the bluesy finger-snapper "Gin & Juice (Let Go My Hand)". On each song Andra's voice, more nasal than some singers but able to leap an octave with the skill of a ladder-scaling window cleaner, keeps the listener's attention. The production/arrangements on 'Cheers To The Fall' are impeccable. I love the one note piano on "Forever Mine" (an intro uncannily like the doo wop classic "I Only Have Eyes For You" by the Flamingos) while the uplifting ballad "Rise Up" is arranged not with a predictable swelling climax but with the female backing singers chanting acappella. "Rise Up" is, in my book, the best ballad heard for years. If you've yet to see the stunning video for the song (and you can't wait for the launch of xRhythms), go to YouTube and watch it. It brings a new poignancy to the line "We will walk it out. . .one day."

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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