Album Review: Stella Donnelly, Love And Fortune

Stella Donnelly is baring her soul on this latest album. More than any of her other works, Love And Fortune is her album. It’s deeply personal and leans into her soft, peaceful sound.

She created the record surrounded by friends: Marcel Tussie, Sophie Ozard, Julia Wallace, Timothy Harvey and Ellie Mason, all longtime collaborators. Their atmospheric instrumentals provide an apt complement to her emotive vocals.

In opening track ‘Standing Ovation’, soft synth drones underpin her siren-style vocals, leading into a bright indie rock swell. The folky twang continues on lead single ‘Feel It Change’, where her soulful vocals shine through beachy guitar and drums.

Donnelly's Aussie accent creates an extra sense of flow, especially on lines like, “I love you baby but I’m scared to be near yuh / It’s not the same, I feel it change when you’re here-uh". Another standout lyrical moment is 'Feel It Change', where the singer describes the slow outgoing tide of falling out of love.

The songwriting leans into emotional turbulence with grace, nowhere more so than ‘Friend’, which takes on the ache of loss: “There’s nothing to lose, nothing to gain… Am I happier now than I was then?"

Overall, Love And Fortune is both expansive and intimate, creating a space to feel and filling it with Donnelly's truth.