Lady Wood
| Tove Lo
Lady Wood
Lady Wood is the second studio album by Swedish singer Tove Lo. It was released on 28 October 2016 by Island Records. Lady Wood is considered the first half of a two-piece concept album that describe "highs, lows and ultimate demise of a relationship." Its chapters "Fairy Dust" and "Fire Fade" precede the chapters "Light Beams" and "Pitch Black" from her following album Blue Lips (2017). It was recorded between July 2015 and May 2016, which Lo commented was a quicker turnaround than the "whole life" she was afforded when creating her previous record Queen of the Clouds (2014). -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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EW
On her second LP, Sweden's favorite party girl treats listeners to the darkest, weirdest, most irresistible pop record of the fall.
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Pitchfork
Tove Lo’s second album offers a platform for her to argue that self-destructive affairs of a particular sort of woman are a subject worthy of four-part concept albums.
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Rolling Stone
Whether she’s high as fuck (“Influence”) or stranded on the dance floor (“WTF Love Is”), she thrives on the power of losing yourself in sounds you can dominate and emotions you’ll never contain.
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NME
Swedish singer Tove Lo writes top tunes about chasing all kinds of rushes. Get into it!
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The New York Times
Tove Lo’s ‘Lady Wood’: More Professional Than Passionate.
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The Guardian
The Swedish star tells it like it is in a classy second album of sex, drugs and honesty that lacks the commercial catnip of its predecessor.
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DIY Mag
Non-conformist anthems, rage and uncertainty make up the Swedish star’s second album.
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Sputnik Music
Overall, time and maturity has only increased my appreciation for the whole Lady Wood project, and this might be my favorite album from her yet, since the filler has been cut out and what is left is an examination and deconstruction of what pop and urban music has openly infused about for decades now, with no dud tracks in there whatsoever.
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Slant
Lady Wood is admirably lean and tightly focused, and though it doesn’t boast confessionals on the order of Like a Prayer’s, it offers a peek inside the psyche of a smart, burgeoning young star.
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The Line of Best Fit
Tove Lo’s Lady Wood is an adrenaline rush of pop that kicks against the pricks.
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muumuse
This Lady Wood is a grower, not a shower.
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Cryptic Rock
Lady Wood is, unfortunately, a mostly standard collection of Dance-Pop. Fortunately, there are moments of beautiful, soaring vocals and intelligent lyrics which show hope for future Tove Lo releases. Perhaps Lady Wood merely falls prey to a simple pitfall: the wandering mind of a beautiful, young woman with the Pop world at her feet.
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Radiowave Monitor
Lady Wood is not a perfect album, but it is an important one, while Tove Lo herself is an important rising artist whose art is occasionally inhibited by its stale musical choices.
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Pretty Much Amazing
Secure even its insecurities, Lady Wood lines them up next to Nilsson’s strengths to form its own design, a delicate flower atop a thorny trunk with roots buried deep in permafrost. Get too close and you’ll find yourself impaled upon it, but it’s not like she never warned us.
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Spectrum Pulse
Tove Lo may have found her lane in pop music, but as much as I was rooting for her, she's not exactly making that lane all that compelling, and given how much high melodrama she was able to mine from this material before, that's the real disappointment.
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Pop Crush
There's a hymn-like quality to Tove's songs on Lady Wood, and the tales she weaves of sex, love and everything that falls in-between are almost religious in the sense that it's clear these experiences are her rituals; the truth is what she ultimately worships.
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Idolator
Lady Wood is a triumphant affair more than anything else. Even in its darkest, murkiest moments, the album is a celebration of self and of finding closure.
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Spinditty
Over a tempered dancefloor beat, Tove Lo sings seductively on the tune's verses, before becoming more direct - and irritated - on its upfront choruses.
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Hot Press
There are moments, such as on the title track , when it seems Lo is on the verge of something powerful. Ultimately, though, her undoubted individuality is hard to decipher beneath tides of musical slickness.
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Volume Magazine
ove Lo's sophomore effort Lady Wood stands alone stylistically as she exhibits confidence and growth as an artist, more interested in creating what she wants, which in this case is the celebration of self and finding closure in cloudy situations.
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The Awesome Muse
With her passion filled catchy dance songs, she’s created her own genre of emo-pop, and I LOVE it. She makes it OK for us to like pop because she turns the genre on its head to make it bad-ass, bossy and fresh.
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The Daily Campus
Although “Lady Wood” hasn’t achieved the instant success of “Queen of the Clouds,” it is a solid and honest album that shouldn’t be underestimated. The album is still rather new and definitely has the potential to climb up to success.
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Media Hype
The non-conformist 29-year-old is mostly known for her chill and honest lyrics, however she embodies millennial angst and unruliness in this album. She brings in honesty on some heavy themes, often making reference to rage and uncertainty, drawing you into a rebellious world.
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Immortal Reviews
Lady Wood is a great record all around with few, if any, dull moments, and that's a big statement to make for a pop artist with such a reputation. It's full of desire and a lack of satisfaction, but in the sense that these are things she searches for rather than things she lets take over her - it's normally the latter for most artists who sing about it. She knows how to sing and what to sing to get her point across, and that's true talent.
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Newsday
It’s the same heady mix of slow-burning dance pop and well-crafted lyrics outlining the darker side of club life that brought the Swedish singer-songwriter hits like “Habits (Stay High)” and “Talking Body” on her debut.
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Brig Newspaper
Sound-wise, ‘Lady Wood’ is competent, yet lacking a certain ‘je-ne-sais-quoi’ that would make it more memorable. But its honest, unabashedly self-indulgent lyrics give it a bit more of an edge amongst this year’s many strong electropop releases.
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The Ithacan
Despite her sexy attempt, Lo creates a messy, tasteless album that will turn listeners off from the beginning.
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Pop Matters
Lady Wood, a still-wonderful pop album, falls just shy of being truly great, from saying something truly memorable.
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Popfection
Lady Wood is easily within the Top 10 of the albums released this year, its infectious hooks and tight rhythms make it incredibly catchy. With this record, Tove Lo solidifies her position as one of the most prominent pop figures nowadays, capable of pulling both a cohesive piece of work and several #1 worthy singles.
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The Times
Whatever the message, it does reflect the music within: slick, tantalising and just a little bit too pleased with itself.
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Lemonade Magazine
This album, Lady Wood, is what we wanted with a little less raw emotion from her on Queen of the Clounds. And maybe that is something that will be missed by some people, but while the content is similar, it does show some growth from Tove Lo. Lady Wood is still enjoyable and will be on rotation for a while.
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All Music
Over sparse synths and beats, Lo adopts the perspective of Gone Girl's fantasy woman, using indifference as armor against any threat of heartache or vulnerability.
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The National
Pop singer Tove Lo’s second album is a deliciously murky trip into dark club music. Lady Wood is as close to a punk EDM album as possible.
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Her Campus
The instrumentals on this album were easily my favorite. There are so many jams that I can sit and listen to for hours. The vocals are a great balance with the instruments, showing her vocal power and abilities. If you are looking for something new to listen to, I highly recommend trying out this album, there is something for everyone.
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The Daily Free Press
In all, the album deserves more than a backward glance. Tove Lo’s vocal skills are an acclaim to her career, and the songwriting that she has become adept at makes a show of power, especially in the second half of the album.
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The Musical Hype
All in all, Tove Lo delivers a well-rounded sophomore album with Lady Wood. Even though her performances are cool, she has oomph – a bite about her musically. The production work is exceptional throughout, while the songwriting isn’t too shabby. Lady Wood isn’t the ‘album of the year’, but it is a strong effort without question.
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Ben's Beat
Tove Lo has proven this year that she can be a great complement to other people’s songs, but her own creative agency needs some development. She has the potential to become a genuine hitmaker, and surrounding herself with the right people could allow her to come back with a vengeance on her third project.
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The Odyssey
Tove Lo's new album Lady Wood brings all of the jams and beats in a great style.
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Paw Prints
Comparing this album to her others, this one prevails. The meaning is more prominent than her last.
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Thomas Bleach
While “Lady Wood” may not have the same effect her debut had it still allows the listener to dive head first into the brutally honest world of Tove Lo. It’s relatable, catchy and provides some bop worthy tunes. Does it scream out “album of the year”? No. But it is a damn good attempt while not losing who she is an artist.
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Periscope
ady Wood exposes Lo’s explicit behavior through dark synthpop interpretations of her drug & alcohol abuse and her sexual needs. The album lacks the excitement and lyrical depth from its predecessor and is far from being a masterpiece. Hopefully Lo will go back to her original roots and deliver a banger for her third album.
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The Student Playlist
With ‘Lady Wood’, Lo hasn’t managed to explore that aspect of her persona enough and grow from what she introduced us to on ‘Queen Of The Clouds’.
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Hgbenfield
Throughout Lady Wood – and let’s be clear, yes, the title is a reference to female sexual-arousal – there is a strong ambiguity around whether Lo is lamenting, celebrating, or simply observing, a sexually liberal and chemically effected life-style.
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Jus' Sayingg
Lady Wood by Tove Lo is a great dark album not only musically, but also lyrically; it so personal that you will feel empathic to her feelings.
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Gulf News
The album might be the worst advertisement ever for drugs, but it’s the best for a singer we have to watch.
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Clash
'Lady Wood’ proves Tove Lo is one of the more interesting characters in what is often a personality-less genre, but unfortunately, her unique perspective is diluted by fairly humdrum electro-pop production.
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Pulse Media
Tove Lo’s persona brings adult themes and scenes of a sexual nature with collaborators such as Lorde, producer Joel Little and Max Martin’s protégé Ilya Salmanzadeh to chart-friendly pop since 2014.
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Gig Soup Music
Flying high since the success of her debut record 'Queen of the Clouds', and in particular the well known single 'Habits', Tove Lo returns to share more of her personal, no holds barred pop music.
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