After six long awaited years, Rita Ora is back with her second album. The last six years have been sort of messy for Ora, including a very public breakup with label Roc Nation, high profile quarrels with A-list exes, ventures into acting and reality television judging. After all this, Ora is rising from the ashes with her new album, Phoenix.
The album’s largely excellent singles have been dropping for over a year, starting with the Ed Sheeran penned smash hit “Your Song,” which dominated radio play in the summer of 2017. After that was the critically adored, double chorus boasting chunk of electro-pop “Anywhere,” which has been one of the best things Ora has ever released. After that came the Cardi B, Bebe Rexha, Charli XCX collaboration “Girls,” which made the cut despite the backlash it received when it first was released.
Along the way, there have also been team ups with Liam Payne on the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack as well as with Avicii.
This new album confirms that Ora is a force to be reckoned with. The crunching of electronics on tropical bop “New Love” are good fun and “Only Want You” is a curiously affecting electro-ballad. The album also includes a duet with Julia Michales, which fails to reach the highs both women are capable of.
Besides that one song, the album is everything you’d want it to be, endlessly fun, stuffed full of ear-warm choruses and beats that will make you move instantly.
It may have taken six years, but it goes to show you that good work takes a while.
Take a listen to Rita Ora’s new album Phoenix below!