This has been a long time in the making. ‘Sticks and Horses’ has been around for a while but is still one of the best soul/pop tracks of the year – also, GoldLink has been on fire lately, so his addition here is certainly welcome. ‘Romancandy’ and ‘Pain’ are a bit too Mariah but will still appeal to many listeners, layering too many instruments instead of showcasing Maple’s magnificent voice.
Atlanta-based rapper Rome Fortune features on ‘Buried’, which gets a little heavier and the contrast against her delicate harmonies makes this even more haunting. Title track ‘Lover’ is where Maple gets to spread her wings vocally. It’s got attitude and is the best example of her vocals completely driving the tempo. ‘Hold Me By The Waist’ feels a little Flume-inspired – which is a nice change of pace from the pop-heavy first half. It’s hard not to get swept away with her cover of Jeff Buckley’s ‘Everybody Here Wants You’; Maple clearly respects the material while completely making it her own.
The album finishes on a high, with standout ‘Kryptonite’ and old-school R&B-sounding ‘Where You End and I Begin’.
7.5/10
