By DREW RAPP

With spring in full bloom, I found myself engaging in a modern take on the spring cleaning ritual. Computer in tow, I made my way to Eddie’s for an afternoon in the sun where I could clear off the virtual pile of assignments on my desktop and organize my thoughts for the final stretch of the semester.

But, like many students who take their work outside on the first warm day of the season, I soon became absorbed in the excitement around me. My focus shifted from organizing my work to creating a new summer-y playlist, a soundtrack of sorts to reign in the warm weather. After the obvious first choices of Grouplove and Andy Grammer, the next album I pulled songs from is my Editor’s Pick: Our Version of Events by Emeli Sande.

I first heard Emeli Sande last spring on WFUV, when she gave her first U.S. radio interview on Words and Music From Studio-A, right here at Rose Hill. Born in Scotland, the young songwriter-turned-artist had just released her debut album to critical acclaim and commercial success in the United Kingdom. Our Version of Events is a fresh take on familiar soulful sounds, appealing to  classicists while taking a decidedly young approach, both melodically and lyrically, to the genre.

Catchy singles “Heaven” and “Next to Me” are exactly the poppy, sing-a-long type tunes Fordham students would find on their Spring Weekend playlist, while more emotional ballads “Suitcase” and “Maybe” demonstrate Sande’s vocal mastery and powerful songwriting ability.

Moments in Sande’s lyrics offer a potent perspective on our generation, commenting on Millennials’ restlessness in “Where I Sleep.” She addresses one of the largest issues our generation faces, climate change, with politically-charged, socially conscious lyrics elsewhere in the album.

The album is striking in its ability to marry a number of genres. Everything from drum-and-bass- heavy ‘90s British dance tracks to soul, folk and contemporary American pop are present. Regardless of the style she is drawing on, Sande’s voice is unmistakably hers, adding to the magic of the album. Fans of Mary J. Blige, Macy Gray and Leona Lewis, whom Sande wrote songs for before beginning writing her own songs professionally, will all find something they enjoy in Our Version of Events.

I was captivated as much by Sande’s intelligence as by her magnetic vocal performance when I first heard her. In her interview with WFUV host Rita Houston, Sande credited her parents for stressing the importance of education, even as they supported her passion for art. Sande turned down a record deal and chose to attend medical school in Scotland at age 16. She told Houston that education gives artists power, affording them the freedom to pursue their art without the pressure of feeling desperate to land a contract.

Our Version of Events was among my favorite albums of last year and is worth a listen for everyone searching for upbeat background sounds when basking on Eddie’s, or for somber melodies to help get through finals. Whatever the occasion, the listener is in for a treat; the album is meticulously crafted, and Sande’s near-flawless vocals are simply radiant.