Description
Yola – Stand For Myself – Compact Disc
Yola’s Stand for Myself is her second studio album, released on July 30, 2021 via Easy Eye Sound. Following the Americana breakthrough of her debut Walk Through Fire (2019), this album marks a clear stylistic expansion—moving beyond roots-country into a broader blend of soul, classic R&B, gospel, pop, and orchestral arrangements.
Produced again by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, the record was recorded at Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville. While Auerbach remains a key sonic architect, Stand for Myself feels more expansive and cinematic than her debut. The production incorporates sweeping strings, layered backing vocals, horns, and polished rhythm sections, giving the album a richer, more retro-soul atmosphere.
The album is direct and declarative. Yola has described it as a statement of identity and autonomy, addressing issues of race, self-definition, and empowerment. The title track, “Stand for Myself,” serves as a mission statement, emphasizing self-worth and independence. Other key tracks include “Diamond Studded Shoes,” which critiques class and celebrity culture, and “Be My Friend,” a collaboration featuring Brandi Carlile that blends introspection with warmth.
Vocally, Yola leans fully into her range and power here. Her delivery moves between intimate phrasing and soaring, gospel-inflected crescendos. Compared to her debut, which was often categorized within Americana, this album more clearly aligns her with the lineage of classic soul vocalists while still maintaining subtle country and folk undertones.
The album charted on Billboard’s Top Album Sales and Americana/Folk charts, and it received multiple Grammy nominations, including Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song for the title track.
Within Yola’s catalog, Stand for Myself represents a confident evolution—less concerned with fitting into a single genre category and more focused on fully embracing her identity as a vocalist and songwriter. It broadens her artistic scope while maintaining the emotional directness that defined her breakthrough.
Issued in a gatefold cardboard sleeve with an 8 page lyric booklet.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Barely Alive
Dancing Away In Tears
Diamond Studded Shoes
Be My Friend
Great Divide
Starlight
If I Had To Do It All Again
Now You’re Here
Whatever You Want
Break The Bough
Like A Photograph
Stand For Myself
