Cynthia Erivo’s ‘I Forgive You’: A cathartic collection of stories

Feeling melancholic but in need of a sense of catharsis? The release of Cynthia Erivo’s sophomore album I Forgive You, having been released on 6 June, meets all the categories for rendering these emotions beautifully.

With the box office hit Wicked cementing Erivo as one of the leading lights of Hollywood, I Forgive You sets out to create a never-seen-before intimacy with her audience. As a longstanding artist in the industry, striving to have consistently authentic work, Erivo  has gained immense notoriety that seems like overnight success, despite her extensive filmography that spans almost a decade.

We immediately understand the pain Cynthia is conveying

Graduating with a bachelor’s in acting from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the understanding and manipulation of music becomes ubiquitous in her latest body of work. The captivating album moves away from the hyper-dramatic key changes that Erivo has become viral and known for, and rather, it channels her ability to move people through narrative storytelling. Track four on the album ‘You First’, personally, remains the best example of this formal construction. With sweeping strings in the background, the classical atmosphere continues in dialogue with Erivo’s vocals. This song is full of lyrics that demand that the addressee takes responsibility for their actions – or lack thereof. The repetition of the lines, “It’s not fair”, builds an indignant feeling within the song, with the help of a deeper bass.

The semi-refrain – “It’s not fair/ you ask me to forgive but how can I when you don’t care?”, and “It’s not fair/ You kiss me, then you leave, you want me, but you’re never there” – pulls the listeners into that cyclical groove. We immediately understand the pain that Erivo is conveying. We understand even if we haven’t experienced the exact scenario ourselves. As the song draws to a close, all the backing falls away and it is the main vocals sustained over each other that amplifies the message of the song through a direct address: forgiveness can still be given, even if the person has not earned it.

Her stories are worth all the drawn back reality checks there is to offer

This leads us into the main themes of the album as an in-depth and artistic study of the process of atonement. Having been raised by an immigrant Nigerian mother, Erivo remains a practising Roman Catholic and explores her faith through the medium of music. From the title of the album to the black and white cover, with the artist stripped bare with a pair of angel wings sprouting out of her back, personifying the white dove, there is a pervasive mood of a holy nature. The backing vocals combine in a choir-like fashion. The black gospel inspiration for this album is ever-present. Embodying a spiritual and communal uplift that someone becomes tasked with in light of a romantic split, the first six songs, broken by the second of four acapella interludes – ‘I Want You – Interlude’ – lean into this confessional tone, moving away from a previously pop-centric expression.

Variety Magazine compared this release to something more akin to Hozier and, while a similar earnest expression is present in this album, what remains unique to Erivo is the simplicity of the lyrics. She doesn’t concern herself with oblique references and elaborate wordplays, and her music becomes even more interesting for it. In trying to communicate a feeling to a wider audience, it feeds into her core beliefs that faith, like music, is accessible to everyone. This becomes more explicit in her songs ‘Holy Refrain’ and ‘Grace’ which are the more tender and calmer tracks on the album. A hopeful optimism can then be explored through vibrant songs like ‘Push and Pull’. The album follows a journey of self-acceptance, a journey that highlights the continuous efforts and strife of Erivo.

What remains most moving about the album is how true to life its production seems. I Forgive You is a balanced execution of beautiful vocals made relatable by meaningful lyrics. Nothing sums up the experience as well as the words of the songwriter herself, in an interview with AP: “This album is a collection of stories and songs that are both personal for things that are happening now, things that have happened in the past”. Her stories are worth all the drawn-back reality checks there is to offer.

Recommended Listening: ‘You First’, ‘Push and Pull’, ‘Grace’

★★★★

Listen to I Forgive You here: