While a majority of individuals panicked about the lockdown in early 2020, Brighton-raised singer, Celeste Epiphany Waite, was rather relieved that she was able to pull herself together and solely focus on the one thing most important to her: singing. 

During the lockdown, Celeste curated her second album, “Not Your Muse,” using previous conversations and stories of her past and released it earlier this year.

Starting with the first of the twelve-tracks, “Ideal Women,” I was immediately reminded of “At Last,” by Etta James. As a 21st century upcoming singer, a majority of Celestes’ tracks are influenced by 60s’ songs. “Ideal Woman” is the perfect song to describe an independent girl who knows her worth. Lyrics state, “Please don’t mistake me / for someone who cares.” Hearing these lyrics, I’d typically assume someone with a very stern voice singing, however, the melody is softened by Celeste’s silky, harmonious tone. Her soprano vocals are perfect for this song in comparison to an artist more alto with the powerful lyrics. 

Moving down her list of tracks, one of Waite’s more underrated songs is “Love is Back.” Starting immediately with horns and an upbeat tune, it seems to be influenced by jazz. Again, the lyrics are direct, “It’s so peculiar how you’ve come and changed my mind / I’ll fall head first, I hope it doesn’t hurt / What’s your preference? / ‘Cause I know mine / And it’s you.” Waite distances herself from love, but when she sees that one individual, the feeling of love returns. 

The last song, “Some Goodbyes Come With Hellos,” begins with an acoustic guitar. Celeste sings, “Sometimes we can’t choose things we are drawn to / Once we are bound to lose / We should let them go.” Celeste sees that although things do come to an end, another opportunity will come eventually. This is a great ending to “Not Your Muse” because she leaves the listener with a sense of hope. When a couple breaks off, they are generally sad and choose to dwell on their memories, but from Celestes’ perspective, she sees it as a growth opportunity.

It’s natural for some songs to land better than others, but in this case, I fell in love with Celestes’ vocals right away as well as the entire album. I can tell she definitely sings from the heart and is passionate in what she does. The entire album feels like a “winter night sitting in front of a fireplace” type of vibe and I would genuinely recommend her to everyone.