Vanessa Forero has released her new album “Days Before”, an eleven-track record that brings soul, pop and gospel together without making the mix sound too busy. It is a good place to start if you are new to her music, because there is so much here to keep you listening.
The melodies are one of the strongest parts of the album. They are easy to remember, but there is enough happening around them to make another listen worthwhile. Forero has a strong and catchy voice, and she knows how to make a chorus land. Her delivery stays at the centre of the songs, while the backing vocals add another layer and give some moments a real lift. The hooks are hard to miss and we still remember a few of them while writing this review.
There is a rich sound in the record, with full instrumentation and plenty of small details to pick up along the way. The older soul-pop and gospel touches are amazing, but the album does not come across as simply looking back. The songs draw on memories and personal stories, with themes of faith, love and gratitude running through them. That gives the music a warm direction without asking every track to make the same point which is good. The arrangements also leave room for her charming voice, which matters on an album built around strong singing and big melodies.
The steady flow helps all 11 tracks work well together. “Days Before” works well as a full listen rather than just a collection of tracks to dip into. If you are new to Vanessa Forero, this is a lovely starting point. We loved her melodies, lyrics and the care she puts into her performances, and there is enough character here to make us curious about what she releases next.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Vanessa Forero was born to a wild Colombian mother & an English scientist/organist father. She was raised in a megachurch where she was main pianist from age 13, absorbing the roof-raising communal gospel songs.
Forero began a career in film & television music scoring, finding the process suited her synesthetic brain (where senses blend – tasting visuals to smelling tones). However, the solitary nature of the composer lifestyle began to take its toll & she began writing songs as a break, delving into open mics & pivoting towards the more communal world of live music.
In 2024, Forero was ultimately thrown into the spotlight after Ben Fogle visited her self-built Colombian treehouse for his ‘New Lives in the Wild’ programme. This showcased Vanessa & her mother’s story of kidnap & survival in the Colombian jungle as told in the book ‘The Girl With No Name’, which they co-wrote. NatGeo then turned the story into documentary ‘Woman Raised By Monkeys’, for which Forero scored its soundtrack. The programme’s success dragged her out of her solo life and into performing sellout shows of her music in her 2025 UK tours.
Her kickstarter-funded album of modern piano classics ‘Days Before’ is out Sept 25th. A radiant blend of uplifting soul, retro pop & gospel-rooted warmth, born from Forero’s reconnection to the sounds that raised her
With new music, a new book, a new cabin-build, and a feature film in development, Vanessa Forero is one to watch for – if you can catch her!
