Lana Del Rey, ‘The Grants’ – Single Review ★★★★☆

‘The Grants’ by Lana Del Rey – Single Rating: 4/5 ★★★★☆

A short time ago, ‘A&W’ from Lana Del Rey got a rare five-star review from us. We do not dish those out very often.

Third single ‘The Grants’ isn’t quite five-star level – but it’s very, very close. Lana’s upcoming ninth studio album ‘Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd’ will no doubt be a success. The reviews so far have been very strong, and it will no doubt be a very special album.

‘The Grants’ starts off with a lovely traditional count in, and the vocals, both lead and backing – are world class. While the intro is very gospel, the instrumentation across the verse is very much just strings, piano and a gentle acoustic guitar arrangement – low in the mix. You can never tire of Del Rey’s voice, its simply mesmerizing and she is backed up by the likes of Pattie Howard, Shekinah Jones & Melodye Perry who have backed up and sung with everyone from Whitney Houston, May J Blige & U2 through to Michael Jackson and Beyoncé. In short, they are some of the best backing vocalists in the world.

Vocal Style

‘The Grants’ vocally has a bit of eerie Kate Bush mixed with the softer side of Stevie Nicks. Nevertheless, the overall musicianship and feel is in a similar style to Paul Weller’s ‘Wings Of Speed’, the last track off of his 1995 album ‘Stanley Road’.

It’s a deeply personal song about Lana Del Rey’s close relationships. It was written with her ex, director Mike Hermosa and ‘The Grants’ refers to Lana’s born with family name – Grant.

‘My sister’s first-born child, I’m gonna take that too with me, my grandmother’s last smile, I’m gonna take that too with me’. Deeply, personal and touching content.

The wonderful thing about ‘The Grants’ is that it is the opposite in style to her last single release ‘A&W’. Moreover, it’s her diversity across her art that makes her one hell of a magical artist.