Olivia Dean’s “The Art of Loving” is a jazzy lesson in loving and learning

Graphic by Sienna Lewis, Staff Photographer

English singer-songwriter Olivia Dean is quickly stealing hearts and rising to pop fame, recently cementing her position as an artist to watch with her sophomore album, “The Art of Loving.” 

While The Art of Loving is many things, it is not a breakup album — if anything, it feels like falling in love. It’s a jazzy, sultry invitation to slow down, something our generation isn’t always keen to do — especially when it comes to love. It traces the intricacies of a relationship, from beginning to end, with all the complexities and shifting dynamics we’ve become accustomed to navigating. It weaves in themes of platonic and familial love and, most-critically, self-love.

The intro titular track, “The Art of Loving,” sets the tone for a soft-spoken, jazzy, comforting album, which is exactly what Dean delivers.

The album is melancholic, intimate and reflective, but Dean manages to keep it light and upbeat at the same time. Where much of the thematic imagery could send the listener into an emotional spiral, the soundscapes instead uplift and empower. 

The second track, “Nice to Each Other,” reflects the beginning of a relationship, when two people are just starting to figure each other out. It’s a manifestation of all the what-ifs and could-bes floating around in the average romantic’s head at any given moment, delivered in piano motifs and retro-inspired “ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba” backing vocals. 

At the same time, it’s a denouncement of what Dean views as “the classic stuff.” Two people don’t necessarily have to make a full-blown relationship work — instead, Dean asks: isn’t it enough to just meet the other where they are, now? Could it be so simple?

Flipping the script on the first two songs, “Lady Lady” is a sort of self-love anthem. It’s an ode to learning to be on your own and trusting in yourself and your own evolution, wherever that may lead you. 

The album is layered in sound that is simultaneously textured and smooth, with a grace that is carried by Dean’s assured, warm vocals and classically retro-minded pop and R&B sound. 

“Close Up” takes the album in a slower, more reflective direction. It’s the familiar anxieties of a relationship — or something close to one — wrapped in jazzy sound that starts with piano and transforms into shining melodies atop percussive undercurrents. 

“So Easy (To Fall In Love)” brings the listener back to an easy, light sound with jazzy background vocals that are, well, easy to love. It’s inviting and warm despite its slightly self-indulgent nature. The track is flirty and perfectly smug, though nothing of the sound or vocals stand out in any particular way. As much as it’s the ideal backing track to a great first date, it’s just as easy to throw on while focusing on something else.

With lyrics like “if you knew me at all, you wouldn’t try to keep me small,” “Let Alone The One You Love” tells a story of growing up and growing apart. It’s the disillusionment of a relationship falling short, the disappointment of outgrowing someone and the subsequent fallout. Its lounge-jazz feel; while slower than many of the other tracks, it hardly feels stagnant, largely in part to Dean’s powerful vocal performance.

Dean’s vocals are striking yet comforting across the 12 tracks – a perfect complement to the moving soundscapes and dynamic instrumentals, all of which stand as focal points throughout the album. 

The first single released off the album, “Man I Need,” is a playful yet direct invitation into the singer’s life. Where many of today’s pop girlies come at emotionally unavailable men with a certain rage, Dean exhibits no frustration, both in part to her general unfussiness and the widely mellow temper of the album overall. Its bouncy rhythms are dynamic and fun, but also play into the track’s lack of real depth. For whatever emotional intensity it lacks, “Man I Need” still delivers catchy melodies and singable relatability, and was enough to propel Dean into the mainstream.

“Something Inbetween” takes the listener back toward the end of a relationship, into a stage of bargaining. Dean expresses an inability to let a stale relationship go through stripped-back moments within an overall upbeat track. She tells the listener a relationship doesn’t have to be all or nothing — there are times where she’s content to settle comfortably in the something-in-between. 

“Loud” is the most vulnerable, most stripped-back of the 12 tracks on the album. It’s the emptiness and finality of a finished relationship, with lyrics like “We went straight to lovers so, we can’t even talk as friends.” Dean’s vocals are on full display, amplified by the cinematic quality of the track and reminiscent of songs like “Skyfall” by Adele. 

Throughout “The Art of Loving,” Dean employs symbolism of house and home to reflect the inner state of relationships. Rooms where the air has grown stale serve as a metaphor for stagnant love – spaces once filled with love and life now feel suffocating. Dean suggests that love, like a lived-in home, requires attention, renewal and openness to change in order to remain alive.

“Baby Steps” slips back into the jazzy, melodic sonic landscapes of the majority of the album with lyricism about picking yourself back up amidst the pieces of a finished relationship. It’s being gentle with yourself and finding growth, even and especially in the hard places; “Baby Steps” is a song about starting anew and not being afraid to do so, with lyrics that are just vulnerable enough to be painfully relatable amid its upbeat melodies. 

Reflective and mature, “A Couple Minutes” shares lyrics like “Love’s never wasted when it's shared. And although it's over, I’ll always be there.” It documents the time when you forget, if even for a brief moment, anything bad that happened in the relationship and its end — the love is still there. It sounds almost like a lullaby, with a soundscape like waves lapping the shore. 

“I’ve Seen It” is the satisfying, gratifying end the album deserves. It’s an understanding that love is truly everywhere, even (and especially) in the places you don’t look for it. Dean strays from strictly romantic love in this track in particular, emphasizing the importance and spectacularity of platonic love in a plucky musical composition that feels like the sun shining on your face. It sounds similar to “Just the Two of Us” by Grover Washington feat. Bill Withers and “In My Life” by The Beatles, a sort of homage to original jazz and R&B influences.

Dean’s talent is undeniable and certainly on full display throughout “The Art of Loving,” but what truly sets her apart is her storytelling, which is equally captivating and relatable. She knows how to speak to this generation because she’s lived the same experiences; her youth gives her a particular understanding of love that is accessible and, at times, painfully familiar. 

At times the sound is almost too well-curated, and it wouldn’t have hurt Dean to take a few more risks in her sound. However, the singer’s glowing voice makes up for anywhere the album would’ve otherwise fallen short, marking a considerable step into the mainstream with a confident second studio album.

The storytelling and symbolism allow the album to serve as a reminder that love is truly everywhere, and when all else fails, you can always return to the home inside yourself. Dean breathes life into everything she produces, and this album is no exception. Through soulful vocals and homey symbolism, Dean crafts a sonic space where love lingers — in heartbreak, in friendship, and in returning to yourself.