Imagine love as a vintage record store, full of dusty gems that are yet to be dug out; that is what Joe Lington curates on “SHE,” a sprawling 22-track exploration of modern love that feels like a rediscovery more than a debut.
Lington, an Irish R&B crooner with a feel for the unexpectedᅳthink singing in French and English, even Cameroonian!ᅳweaves a tapestry of really soulful melodies that shimmer with Sisqo and Keith Sweat influences. At the same time, though, it packages a bittersweet message. “SHE” is a lament for the fleeting connections of the digital age, a world where love has shrunk to the size of a quick swipe and a disposable bio.
Certainly, Lington doesn’t shy away from the metaphorical. One track stuttering drum beat feels like a first date, all nervous, and another with breathy vocals is redolent of the whispered intimacy of a secret shared between two people. There is a delightful sprinkling of whimsy throughoutᅳa saxophone solo that spirals skyward like a helium balloon, a bridge that dissolves into a jazz scat symphony and evokes a 3 a.m. party in a Parisian café.
Long from itᅳ”SHE” is not all rainbows and unicorns. There’s a sense of overwhelm in the sheer track listing, and some lyrics bend toward the overly familiar. At its core, it makes an impassioned plea for something deeper: a yearning for love that goes beyond curated profiles and fleeting dopamine hits of the dating app era.
By the end, you are left with this weird mixture: nostalgia for when a mixtape or a letter written by hand made sense, coupled with a flutter of hope that maybe, just maybe, Lington will be able to make the embers of real love in today’s digital age flicker back into life once more. Is it a perfect record? Far from it. But is it a compelling listen? Without question. “SHE” reminds us that, within a culture capturing every move for the ‘gram, some thingsᅳlike genuine connectionᅳare worth holding on to.
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