''Kingdom Coming'' is an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) by Scottish singer songwriter

Emeli Sandé Adele Emily Sandé, ( ; born 10 March 1987), known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a Scottish singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by an English mother and a Zambian father ...

, released on 3 November 2017 by

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...

. ''Kingdom Coming'' is Sandé's third EP following 2013 ''iTunes Sessions'' and 2016's ''Live from London Bridge'', and also follows Sandé's second studio album ''

Long Live the Angels ''Long Live the Angels'' is the second studio album by Scottish recording artist Emeli Sandé, released on 11 November 2016 by Virgin Records. The lead single from the album, "Hurts", was released on 16 September 2016. Sandé embarked on a Europe ...

'' (2016). The EP features

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

rapper

Dave East David Lawrence Brewster Jr. (born June 3, 1988), better known by his stage name Dave East, is an American rapper. East began his career in 2010, and gained attention in 2014 from his eighth mixtape, ''Black Rose''. Its release garnered the attent ...

, as well as collaborations with UK

grime Grime may refer to: * Dirt, in the form of black, ingrained dust * Grime (music genre), a genre of music * ''Grime'' (album), a 2001 album by Iniquity * ''Grime'' (video game), a 2021 Metroidvania video game * "Grime", a 2022 song by Dallas Woo ...

rappers Giggs and

Wretch 32 Jermaine Sinclaire Scott (born 9 March 1985), better known by his stage name Wretch 32, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter from Tottenham, North London. He was a member of the grime collective Combination Chain Gang, before forming The M ...

Background and conception

Following the release of multiple singles from Sandé's debut album ''

Our Version of Events ''Our Version of Events'' is the debut studio album by Scottish recording artist Emeli Sandé. The album was released on 13 February 2012 by Virgin Records, following Sandé's winning of the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards 2012. Though ...

'' (2013), which amassed over 2.3 million copies sold in the UK, Sandé would release ''

'' (2016), which sold less than her debut. A year later in 2017, ''Kingdom Coming'' was announced featuring six songs including a collaboration with

rapper

. Thematically, Sandé noted that ''Long Live the Angels'' was emotionally deep and towards the end of writing that album, she "wanted to give the light at the end of the tunnel". Coupled without the pressure of releasing a project, Sandé noted that she was able to "try something with a different production", especially as the song "Starlight" also had an acoustic version which showcased the lyrics more. It was also noted that between the release of ''Long Live the Angels'' and ''Kingdom Coming'', Sandé was awarded a MBE by British monarch

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

for her services to music. This impacted the tone and direction of ''Kingdom Coming''. Describing the process of creating ''Kingdom Coming'', Sandé said "it was made in complete freedom and pure passion. I invited some genius friends of mine to join me in the countryside to express themselves with no restrictions, and it's been an honour". The collection was recorded in the space of one week. The cover art for the EP is a school picture of Sandé with her father Joel from 1992. Sandé called the EP a "bridge" to where she wished to take her next album.

Music and composition

The collaboration with East opens the EP and is a "beat-driven number" with delicate vocals and a mellow tone. The second song "Love Is War" features a piano melody, combining elements of

jazz music Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a maj ...

. British rapper Giggs joins Sandé on "Higher", a darker and "grittier" song while track four "Deep" evokes 90s soul music. Speaking about the song "Startlight", Sandé said it was conceived after realising she was "a lot happier and a lot lighter" and because "It wasn't attached to anything, so it was just about being free and having a bit of fun with the music". The acoustic version is included on ''Kingdom Coming'', and featured a more stripped back production reminiscent of many of Sandé's earlier songs. The ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

''s Harry Fletcher noted that "Starlight" had a distinctly "dancier" and "more immediate" sound than the "less than celebratory" tone of second album ''Long Live the Angels''. One of the reasons for this was that ''Long Live the Angels'' was conceived after Sandé's divorce from husband Adam Gouraguine, and "Starlight" celebrated a new romantic partner in her life. Speaking in more detail about the song, Sandé said: "It's a song all about falling in love, and something I can definitely dance to and it reflects somewhere where I'm at in my life. Falling in love with someone is an amazing experience." The EP closes with the

-assisted title track.

Critical reception

Pip Ellwood-Hughes from ''Entertainment Focus'' opined that although ''Kingdom Coming'' was "not as memorable" as prior releases, it would likely tide fans over until Sandé's next album. The acoustic version of "Starlight" was praised as the EP's standout track while criticism was directed towards "Deep" as Ellwood-Hughes felt "Sandé was oddly disconnected from the production" and there was indifference for both Wretch 32's contribution and the title track overall.

Release and promotion

"Starlight" was released as the first single from the EP on 20 September 2017. The EP was released on 3 November 2017.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Vocals *Emeli Sandé – lead vocals *

– featured vocals (track 1) * Giggs – featured vocals (track 3) *

– featured vocals (track 6) Musicians and technicians *Mike Davies – guitar (track 5) *Lewis Gibbs – assistant recording engineer (tracks 2–3, 6) *Isabel Gracefield – recording engineer (tracks 3, 6) *Dexter Hercules – drums (tracks 2–3, 6) *Lewis Hopkin – mastering engineer (tracks 1–6) *Miles James – synthesizers (tracks 3, 6), guitar (track 6) *Troy Lynch – recording engineer (track 1) *Arran Powell – bass guitar (tracks 2–3, 6) *Gavin Powell – Hammond organ (tracks 1–4, 6), producer (track 1), additional producer (track 1), piano (tracks 2, 6) *Felix Rashman – recording engineer (track 5) *Ratchet – audio mixing (tracks 1–6), recording engineer (tracks 2–4, 6) *Emeli Sandé – recording arranger (track 4) *Shakaveli – programming (track 4)

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2017 EPs