On Friday (April 27), Anne-Marie finally released her debut album, Speak Your Mind. The album has been in the works for over two years but now is the time for the songstress to finally show the world what she’s truly made of.
Whilst we’ve already been treated to huge tracks including ‘Ciao Adios’, ‘Alarm’, ‘FRIENDS’, and ‘2002’ over the past few years, Anne-Marie’s 17-track deluxe album allows her to delve far deeper in terms of message and sound. The album offers up some of the singer’s most personal offerings yet which will no doubt provide comfort, strength and inspiration to her loyal fans.
Check out our track-by-track album review below.
1. ‘Cry’
Speak Your Mind opens up with ‘Cry’ which draws you in immediately thanks to the hypnotic instrumental. ‘Cry’ is a mid-tempo post breakup jam which sees Anne-Marie deliver some savage lyrics including “2% my lover, huh, 98% was waste of time”, giving the middle finger to her ex who won’t find anyone better than her. The track eases us in gently to the rest of Anne-Marie’s album.
2. ‘Ciao Adios’
From the chilled vibes of ‘Cry’, we go to the infectious tones of ‘Ciao Adios’, one of Anne-Marie’s most successful tracks to date. There’s no denying that ‘Ciao Adios’ is the ultimate bop and we’ve been addicted to it since it was released in February 2017. The track is rich with Anne-Marie’s signature fierceness and it acts as the perfect ‘f— you’ to anyone who’s been let down by a former lover.
3. ‘Alarm’
‘Alarm’ was released all the way back in 2016 and was many people’s introduction to Anne-Marie. Despite being almost two years old, the track fits in perfectly with the songstress’ album and current sound as her sassy vibe is evident throughout. ‘Alarm’ has an irresistible groove and showcases Anne-Marie’s striking vocals.
4. ‘Trigger’
We’ve heard ‘Trigger’ live during one of Anne-Marie’s live performances last year so it’s nice to finally hear the studio version. This is one of only two album tracks which the singer didn’t have a hand in writing however, she fully puts her stamp on the tropical-infused song. ‘Trigger’ sees Anne-Marie trying to reach a middle ground with a former partner, discouraging violence by singing “That won’t fix it any quicker, we don’t have to pull the trigger.”
5. ‘Then’
‘Then’ was released at the end of 2017 and showcases a softer side to Anne-Marie. Lyrically, the track follows in a similar direction to ‘Cry’ however, the singer’s vocals highlight her vulnerability during the song. You can really feel the heartache in Anne-Marie’s voice as she croons:
“Now when you think of late nights with me there in your bed
True ride or die, that’s what you had
I loved you, I loved you, I loved you
And when you think of my body on yours, don’t forget
Once I would have died for you, baby
I loved you, I loved you, I loved you
But that was then”
6. ‘Perfect’
‘Perfect’ is definitely one of the most personal offerings on Speak My Mind, with Anne-Marie acknowledging “I’m okay with not being perfect, ’cause that’s perfect to me”. Throughout the song, Anne-Marie highlights issues such as body confidence and mental health. The singer also speaks about anxiety, urging others that “remember if you wanna, you can go home, you can say that enough is enough.”
Arguably one of the most powerful lyrics in the song is “And I’ll love who I want to love, ’cause this love is gender-free”, which emphasises that we should all love whoever we want to regardless of their gender. There is no doubt that ‘Perfect’ is a powerful anthem of acceptance, and we can’t thank Anne-Marie enough for sharing it with the world.
7. ‘FRIENDS’ with Marshmello
Who can resist Anne-Marie and Marshmello’s recent collaboration ‘FRIENDS’? The track is the ultimate friend-zone anthem and combines Anne-Marie’s trademark sass with feisty lyrics to create an incredible bop. ‘FRIENDS’ is enjoying success around the globe and is set to propel Anne-Marie to the superstardom she deserves.
8. ‘Bad Girlfriend’
Continuing with the sass, the eighth track on Speak Your Mind is ‘Bad Girlfriend’. The track draws us in with a captivating piano melody before an RnB beat kicks in. Whilst Anne-Marie has listed the faults of an ex partner in previous album tracks, this time the tables are turned as she describes why she is such a bad girlfriend. Listing some of her negative traits, Anne-Marie states that “I do some shit you can’t forgive but you better get used to it”, suggesting that her lover will overlook her flaws.
9. ‘Heavy’
‘Heavy’ is another track which was released back in 2017 and has a tropical vibe throughout. The song is rather underrated and perhaps didn’t receive the attention it deserved when first released, especially considering as it showcases Anne-Marie’s vocal ability perfectly. Despite its name, ‘Heavy’ is one of the gentler songs on the album and once again allows the singer to explore her vulnerable side.
10. ‘2002’
‘2002’ was released as an instant grat track thanks to some trolling from Ed Sheeran, who co-wrote the song with Anne-Marie, Julia Michaels, Steve Mac and Benny Blanco. The easy listening track reminisces about falling in love and has one of the most lyrically fun choruses which reference some of our favourite songs of the 00’s. Thanks to the nostalgia filled chorus, the song has already received a positive response, debuting at number eight on the UK singles chart.
11. ‘Can I Get Your Number?’
‘Can I Get Your Number?’ is a breezy offering which sees Anne-Marie throwing caution to the wind by making the first move with a partner. Acknowledging “but what if this shit is love?”, the singer goes for it and asks for their number as if she doesn’t then she “might regret it for the rest of my life”. The track has an empowering vibe and will encourage others to take a risk when it comes to romance as it just might pay off.
12. ‘Machine’
‘Machine’ is the final track on the standard version of Speak Your Mind and is one of the darker offerings from Anne-Marie. The song sees Anne-Marie discuss what being a machine would be like in comparison to being human. She points out that the main advantage would be not having to deal with emotions, something which she recently spoke about with The Guardian.
Anne-Marie is an empath, someone who is highly sensitive to the point where her mood is affected significantly by the people and situations around her. She acknowledges this during ‘Machine’ with lyrics such as “If I was a machine, I wouldn’t be affected by violence on the television screen”. This is another powerful and personal song from Anne-Marie which showcases the real her. Whilst we love her feisty and sassy side, which is evident in tracks such as ‘Ciao Adios’ and ‘FRIENDS’, it’s also refreshing to get to know more about the woman behind that persona through songs such as ‘Machine’.
13. ‘Breathing Fire’
The deluxe edition of Speak Your Mind includes an additional five tracks, the first of which being ‘Breathing Fire’. Originally meant for release as the follow up to ‘Alarm’, the track’s release was eventually cancelled yet it leaked at the end of last year. The track has a strong sound with Anne-Marie delivering breathy vocals as she sings “we pull the trigger tight, we glitter up the night, we live, we live to love, we live like we are free”.
14. ‘Some People’
‘Some People’ has a hypnotic tone and sees Anne-Marie question why she gives everything to a lover when she receives nothing in return. Whilst the track isn’t one of the strongest on the album, it is certainly one that some listeners will be able to relate to.
15. ‘Used To Love You’
‘Used To Love You’ is the perfect follow up to ‘Some People’ as it sees Anne-Marie find her strength and question why her ex treated her like they did. “Was it something that I done? Am I being dumb? I did nothing wrong” croons Anne-Marie, before acknowledging that she is over the situation and is going to walk away. “I used to love (you), nobody but (you), took me for a (fool), you won’t see no tears, they all dried up yesterday”, she sings. Despite the emotional tone of the track, it is delivered in Anne-Marie’s trademark punchy style, making us want to root for the songstress.
16. ‘Peak’
It feels like ‘Peak’ is the final piece of the ‘Some People’/’Used To Love You’ puzzle as Anne-Marie once again questions what went wrong in the relationship. This time, she delivers a heartbreaking ballad which sees her list the possible mistakes, before coming to the realisation that “no, I didn’t do anything but love”. It seems that her only fault is having a big heart, and this message is really brought home in the final chorus as Anne-Marie pushes her vocal to give a truly captivating ending to the song.
17. ‘Rockabye’ with Clean Bandit and Sean Paul
Rounding off the deluxe edition is ‘Rockabye’, Anne-Marie’s collaboration with Clean Bandit and Sean Paul which gave her a huge international platform. The single and struggling mum anthem is inspirational and brings the album to an end in a positive manner. It also strengthens the theme of positivity and strength which runs through the album.
It’s safe to say that Anne-Marie’s debut album Speak Your Mind was well worth the wait. The songstress has delivered a strong album full of tracks which not only detail relationship dramas, but delve into personal issues such as mental health, body positivity and sexuality.
Whilst Anne-Marie is best known for her feisty bops armed with sassy lyrics such as ‘Ciao Adios’, she has also proven her ability to strip things back, showcasing her vulnerable side. Songs such as ‘Perfect’ and ‘Machine’, which let us in on Anne-Marie’s struggles, are raw yet empowering.
The singer also gets the chance to showcase her unique vocal through the various songs. Whilst tracks like ‘Bad Girlfriend’ and ‘Used To Love’ allow Anne-Marie to deliver bundles of strength and attitude through her voice, songs like ‘Then’ and ‘Heavy’ show off the softer side to her vocal. She also pulls off one of the most passionate vocals during ‘Peak’.
What all of the album tracks have in common is that they are true to Anne-Marie as a person. Through Speak Your Mind, we get to see all sides of the singer, with all of them highlighting how real and down to earth she is. Despite raking up millions of hits online, Anne-Marie goes through the same issues as any other person, making this album utterly relatable for any listener.
Stream Speak Your Mind in full below.