Lianne La Havas' debut, Is Your Love Big Enough, is a grower in the truest sense of the word; apart from a couple more immediate and extroverted tracks, it's an understated, quietly reflective affair that so slowly creeps under your skin that you barely notice. While this makes for pleasant listening, the lack of "big" moments also feels slightly underwhelming, especially because you know that La Havas has the talent as a performer to deliver them. Luckily, her sophomore effort, Blood, finds La Havas more comfortably occupying the spotlight, stretching her voice and songwriting to newly confident heights and achieving remarkable balance between subtlety and bombast.

From the moment I heard the lead single/first track, "Unstoppable," I knew I was in for something spectacular. It's the kind of dazzlingly pristine and grandly dramatic pop song that stops the listener in his or her tracks to gape in awe at the perfection of it, from the lush crescendo of vocal harmonies at the beginning to the coolly and effortlessly soulful verses to the soaring and instantly memorable chorus. It's remarkably mature and sophisticated without once falling over the edge into blandness or predictability.

It establishes a trend that carries across the entire album of songs building from minimal, unassuming beginnings into elaborate and spine-tingling climaxes; while this could become stale fast, La Havas and her co-writers know how to manipulate the formula in ways that make it surprising - not to mention stunningly beautiful - every time. It helps, too, that they're simply fantastic at crafting catchy melodies that immediately provoke toe-tapping, arm-waving, and theatrical lip-synching from the listener. "Green and Gold" and "What You Don't Do" are both good examples of rather traditionally-structured songs that are elevated by the tightness of the songwriting, the tasteful inclusion of brass arrangements to brighten and enrich the soundscape, and La Havas' flawless delivery.

It's impossible to overstate exactly how impressive La Havas is as a vocalist, and she steps up her game tremendously on the second half of the album. "Midnight" and "Grow" both begin quite stripped-down and laidback, with La Havas taking advantage of the lower shades of her register, but they quickly erupt into vocal masterclasses: the passion and desperation positively drip from La Havas' voice as she reaches deep to pull out her most diva-tier notes. The most experimental track is "Never Get Enough," which pulls more from rock influences than the smooth R&B and pop of the rest of the album to deliver an unexpectedly distorted and gritty chorus underlaid by dark synths and aggressive percussion. It marks the apex of La Havas' newfound confidence, as well as her desire to innovate and surprise, which hopefully carries over into her future endeavors.

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