ALBUM REVIEW: Nadine Shah – Filthy Underneath

EMI North

Released: 23.02.24

Whitburn-born singer-songwriter Nadine Shah’s 2020 album Kitchen Sink set a high bar, receiving universal acclaim. Four tumultuous years on, Filthy Underneath will be the inaugural release under the new label, EMI North.

Nadine has never shied away from difficult subjects relating to mental health, and she continues in this vein on this synth-dominated album. Inspired by an ineffective therapist with whom she could not connect, lead single Topless Mother combines her impressive rhythms with exuberant melodicity which this album intentionally places in the limelight. Shah’s vocals shine throughout with their exceptional timbre, variously soaring, powerful, and raspy – fantastically displayed on Food For Fuel and Keeping Score. A cocktail of grooving bass and vivacity contrasted with dark atmospheres, Filthy Underneath exceeds high expectations.