Ella Clayton is developing her craft. Her second album, Could It Be You?, sees a return more instinctive than before — eleven tracks recorded in three days, with finishes that sound like years in the making. The East London folk singer-songwriter follows up her debut with the support of producer Lester Duval, and the results are breathtakingly moving.

With a poetry background, Clayton has the technical ability and creative intuition that fuels her lyricism. She is a natural storyteller who finds the details others miss — popcorn on the cinema floor, mountains lined by trees during a walk — building a world similar to the way a filmmaker directs a scene. With a record about mapping love and introspection, that specificity keeps it from feeling overwrought.

Her voice is the anchor, meshing well with the folk instrumentals, R&B ad-libs, and soul improvisations. “Please Me” carries a striking line with “I want to fall for my best friend / Until then,” blues-inflected and echoing, the guitar accenting her voice at just the right moments. Then, “Mouth Said Money” shifts the pacing entirely, her harmonies finding a rasp that pushes back. “Dolomites,” another single, leans into vibrant territory, synths folded into a layered arrangement without disappearing. Later, “Ripples” becomes one of her most sonically dynamic tracks, strings and percussion blending together, the moodiness cultivating a balance.

The title track is a pleasant earworm, quiet observations elevated into something that lingers. Navigating romance isn’t exactly a fairytale, so Clayton reflects on how to do it on her own terms. “Rain All Day” follows, with “October Trip” nodding to something more picturesque, honoring traditional folk roots with a contemporary signature. The record occasionally misses the jolt of energy “Mouth Said Money” brought early on, though “Seagull Song” transitions into “Tell Me Something” beautifully.

“As You Are” closes out Could It Be You? strongly, a crescendo that rewards itself after an emotional ride. Many vocalists come to mind when listening to Clayton, Rachel Price of Lake Street Dive among them, but her vocal instincts are too original to borrow from forebears.

Could It Be You? isn’t flashy. It settles in over time. Clayton already found her voice, and this record proves she has something to say.

order Could It Be You? by Ella Claton HERE