Sept. 26 saw the release of Olivia Dean’s second studio album, “The Art of Loving.” I was beyond excited for this record, and I have to say, she delivered.

Led by singles “Nice to Each Other,” “Lady Lady” and “Man I Need,” this album gained significant momentum on TikTok, with “Man I Need” accruing 702 thousand videos since its release on August 15.

Production was headed by Julian Bunetta and John Ryan, both of whom collaborated extensively on Sabrina Carpenter’s and One Direction’s discography.

I came in with super high expectations leading into this busy weekend of music, looking forward to her patented neo-soul + R&B sound that features great grooves from the drums, silky bass lines and rhythmic interjections from the horn section.

I have only two minor gripes about this record: the first being that there is not enough baseline; it is quiet in some tracks. The second gripe is the loudness of her vocals; it is too forward in the production of some of the tracks.

This album is not a 10/10. This could be due in part to my high expectations leading up to the release, but I simply wasn’t blown away. Everything was as expected.

I don’t think there’s a single skip on this album, but “Close Up,” “So Easy (To Fall In Love),” and “Baby Steps” are three of my favorites that weren’t original singles.