{"id":231,"date":"2023-02-09T14:49:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T12:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/popvaulture.com\/?p=231"},"modified":"2024-01-19T12:54:57","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T10:54:57","slug":"the-jordan-nowhere-near-the-sky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/popvaulture.com\/nl\/music\/album-review\/the-jordan-nowhere-near-the-sky\/","title":{"rendered":"The Jordan – Nowhere Near The Sky \u2605\u2605\u2605"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The new solo project by Caroline van der Leeuw, better known as Caro Emerald, is a welcome surprise. The cheerful, sunny sounds she presented with her Caro Emerald band have been replaced by the trip-hop album ‘Nowhere Near The Sky,’ which bears a striking resemblance to the British band Portishead. It’s a significant change, but the question remains whether the entire album is successful.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Caro Emerald sounded like a solo artist, there was a complete band behind her. Caroline van der Leeuw, with The Jordan, named after the neighborhood in Amsterdam where she comes from, now stands alone. This was a deliberate choice because she wanted to make music for the sake of making music, not for commercial reasons. With ‘Nowhere Near The Sky,’ she delivers a debut album with music she has wanted to create for years but had no space for within the band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hits like ‘A Night Like This<\/a>‘ and ‘Back It Up’ are now behind the singer. With The Jordan, she is less commercial, but her unique sound is still a work in progress. Where Caro Emerald precisely knew their musical direction, Caroline solo is still searching. ‘Nowhere Near The Sky’ contains potential hits but also some tracks that miss the mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easy listening on The Jordan – ‘Nowhere Near the Sky’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The opener, ‘The Room,’ has a mystical quality, offering a new sound where Caroline’s voice stands out. It bears some resemblance to London Grammar’s ‘Strong.’ However, the whole album does not follow this atmosphere. After an interlude, we have the two biggest hits of the album, ‘Naked in the Sun,’ ‘Best Damn Day,’ and ‘Temptation.’ These are the tracks that will be heard on the radio for some time\u2014easy to listen to with very catchy choruses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet not everything Caroline van der Leeuw touches turns to gold. The alternative touch to ‘Nowhere Near The Sky’ is interesting but not always well-executed. She still hovers between the commercial and alternative sides, which makes the interludes ‘What Was, Was Not,’ ‘Memento,’ and especially ‘A Price To Pay’ fall flat. Instead of connecting the album, they have the opposite effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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