Reviewed by Philip Woodward

Not one to rest on her laurels, the Grammy-nominated Ayiesha returns with her second offering, an album just as bright and uplifting as her much-lauded debut. Indeed, 'Love Like This' is as light and airy as the sun-kissed cover photo suggests, offering 11 tracks of confident pop-soul that swaps the multifaceted approach of 'Introducing Ayiesha Woods' for a more mainstream and organic sentiment that would rival the likes of Corinne Bailey-Rae for her pop-soul throne. The title track kicks off the album, and despite starting with a truly anodyne rhyming couplet of "I wanna stay/In your presence all day," improves no end into an epic, with lyrics that set a precedent for the rest of the album, speaking of a love with God. Even better is "Alive", as Woods marries an MGMT-eqsue synth to a soulful vocal, propelling it into a mid-tempo love anthem. "Flight" meanwhile is an upbeat rocker with a terrific chorus that rescues the song from horrible sub-funk verses. Best of the bunch though is "Take Me There", a swirling romantic waltz decorated with shimmering strings and heartfelt compassion and without a doubt one of the best things Woods has put to tape. An album for the sunshine then, not these winter months, and a very respectable pop-soul album it is too.

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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