Marie Dahlstrom may not be a familiar name to many but she’s slowly and steadily building a reputation as a promising, upcoming voice in contemporary R&B. Her third album, simply titled MARIE, sees her refine and add to the sound previously established on earlier albums Like Sand and A Good Life. Written over the past two years between London (where she is currently based), Copenhagen and Los Angeles, it provides a refreshing, listenable capsule collection of tracks that should see her profile continue to rise.

It opens with Gold, a smoothly delivered soulful track that introduces many of the features that will define the album. A lightness of touch is also immediately detectable on Night & Day meanwhile. British rapper Jords is the first of two guest artists to appear on the album with his purposeful contribution to Alive. Dahlstrom has explained how the song is about “erasing doubt and reaffirming your love” and it sees her find joy in life’s small comforts, intoning “you keep me so alive”. Later, American jazz quintet Butcher Brown help create a smoky, languid atmosphere on Joined, another moment of minimalist nu-soul. The purity of sound recalls similarly positioned UK soul singer Cleo Sol.

1 Journey Away features a pacy bossa nova style rhythm allied to a graceful vocal melody. Dahlstom has commented how the song addresses her family who are spread out across the globe and how it “reflects a longing for a slower, simpler way of living, where connection and togetherness matter more than everything else happening around you.” She certainly proves herself to be capable of creating moments that allow the listener to step back from the noise of the world and find solace in music.

Take It Out On You features some nice flute accents while the arrangements on Frostbite are deliberately sparse as she reflects longingly on how “I’ve got a frostbite where you left your mark”. You Don’t Look Up Anymore sees her slow things down even more, a simple but poignant meditation on a previous relationship which didn’t progress as hoped. The pristine, piano-led Luckiest Of All closes the album on a thankful, easy-listening note. If there’s one minor criticism it could be that the album is almost too consistent with some tracks blending a little too closely. One or two more stand-out moments might have helped its overall impact but the album still has plenty to offer for those seeking comforting sounds that help foster a sense of inner peace.