Walk Through Fire
by Yola
Metascore
85

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. PopMatters
    Feb 22, 2019
    90
    The album is altogether catchy and enjoyable, and Yola has a mystical and inviting spirit to her voice complimented with the music she, Auerbach, and the Easy Eye musicians weaved.
  2. American Songwriter
    Feb 19, 2019
    90
    Yola can hold her own with the best, and it’s likely this terrific album will end up as one of the most impressive debuts of this or recent years. Its combustive combination of talent, songwriting and sympathetic yet bold production makes Yola’s release one of the finest soul/country fusions in recent memory.
  3. Austin Chronicle
    Oct 10, 2019
    89
    This solo debut makes all the right moves to sail past retro on its way to timeless.
  5. AllMusic
    Feb 22, 2019
    80
    She's channeling her own experiences so they speak to the universal, just like the classic soul she loves. The result is an extraordinary record, one designed to be part of a grand musical tradition, and it contains enough emotion and imagination to earn its place within that lineage.
  6. Q Magazine
    Feb 19, 2019
    80
    A slice of West Country meets Southern soul glory to rival anything Auerbach's ever been associated with. [Apr 2019, p.118]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. Mojo
    Feb 19, 2019
    80
    She's at peak power on Faraway Look, expressing feminine vulnerability over immaculate Dusty In Memphis arrangements. [Mar 2019, p.95]
    All this publication's reviews
  8. Glide Magazine
    Feb 19, 2019
    80
    The gauntlet is thrown down directly at the start and while the following songs are all strong, nothing tops this dynamite performance.
  9. Slant Magazine
    Feb 19, 2019
    70
    Yola seems capable of not only expertly mimicking the sounds of the past, but also creating something that will itself stand the test of time.
  10. The Observer (UK)
    Feb 25, 2019
    60
    It’s a perfect period production that only occasionally tempts the listener to wonder how much more affecting Yola’s songs might be if she turned her attention from “whip-poor-wills” and “the grocery store” to landscapes closer to home.

Awards & Rankings

35
#35 Best Album of 2019

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. LanceGonzales
    Nov 20, 2019
    10
    It's country, soul, and easy listening at its best. Yola knows how to pierce through our ears to our heart. Truly amazing.
  2. badwiring
    Jul 29, 2019
    10
    I have an unrealistic expectation of music. I want it to haunt me when I'm done hearing it so that I have to hear it again. This albumI have an unrealistic expectation of music. I want it to haunt me when I'm done hearing it so that I have to hear it again. This album delivers, and it is beautiful. I can't detect a trace of anything cynical in this album to suggest that it's influenced or shaped by the cookie-cutter music industry. (If it is and I can't tell the difference then I don't care.)

    Do you know that moment when you listen to an album because of one good song, and then you find yourself skipping over the following songs after a minute or so when you realize that they are filler? That moment never came.    … Full Review »
  3. IATRW
    Feb 24, 2019
    9
    Dan Auerbach is fully aware that the moment when country music went pop in the Sixties is one of the most thrilling moments in musicalDan Auerbach is fully aware that the moment when country music went pop in the Sixties is one of the most thrilling moments in musical history, so his production on this record is to be commended. Still, the real hero is obviously Yola herself, who possesses a voice that is the soul of confidence itself. Country and soul are both distinctly American genres, but once again it takes the British to really interpret them properly.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »