Over a decade later, Dido’s stellar No Angel remains a solid album from start to finish, one I enjoy revisiting.  I have to say that follow-up Life For Rent never quite gripped me the same way, which is why I likely drifted off into other artists’ works and forgot to keep up with the English singer-songwriter.

Her two tracks from her forthcoming album are pulling me back in.

Dido’s fourth studio release, Girl Who Got Away, officially arrives March 4, 2013, but you can spin tracks “Let Us Move On” and “No Freedom” now on YouTube.  “Let Us Move On” delivers a loop-laden, chill out vibe and plaintive vocals depicting the universal experience of a relationship ended but not yet left behind.  It brings just enough of a hook to linger in the mind without losing its soul, just enough edge to evoke a sense of a wounded animal within the brave face declaring that it’s time to move forward.  The track features a rap verse from Kendrick Lamar and while it lyrically fits the track, the transition feels a little awkward to my ears.

That said, although “Let Us Move On” feels more commercially viable and is the stronger track of the two, the album’s official lead single is “No Freedom”.  A dreamy, retro-vibed acoustic number, the melancholy “ending love” theme carries through this tune as well.  Dido’s talent for superfically simplistic lyrics with powerful meaning shines through in the track’s understated chorus:  “No love without freedom/No freedom without love.”  There’s a summery highway drive feel to the tune, which makes me inclined to believe it should have been pushed to a second single release circa May or June, but chart performance will reveal if my instincts are sound.

If, like me, you wandered off from Dido after “White Flag” swarmed the airwaves, now seems a great time to come back to her ethereal world.  For more details on Dido’s new release, swing on over to her official site.