Walk Through Fire is the debut album by
Yola. It was released on February 22, 2019, on
Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound label and distributed by
Nonesuch Records.[5][6][7] The album's title references both a fire which damaged Yola's home and an abusive relationship from which she escaped.[8]
A deluxe edition of Walk Through Fire was released on December 6, 2019, which includes two previously unreleased tracks, including a cover of
Elton John's "
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road".[9]Elton John premiered the video via his official
Twitter account and has been a vocal cheerleader of Yola.[10]
Walk Through Fire was written, recorded and produced at
Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Studio in Nashville. Auerbach produced the record and assembled an all-star cast for its creation.[14] Most of the songwriting was a collaboration of Yola and Auerbach with contributions from Bobby Wood,
Pat McLaughlin and
Dan Penn. The team of studio musicians included bassist Dave Roe, harmonica player Charlie McCoy along with former members of the Memphis Boys drummer Gene Crisman and Wood on piano. Additional vocals were contributed by
Vince Gill,
Molly Tuttle,
Ronnie McCoury and
Stuart Duncan.[15] The album was recorded and engineered by M. Allen Parker. Auerbach and Parker also mixed the project.[16]
Walk Through Fire received critical acclaim from music critics. At
Metacritic, the album received an average score of 85/100.[17]AllMusic called the album "an extraordinary record, one designed to be part of a grand musical tradition, and it contains enough emotion and imagination to earn its place within that lineage."[3] Brittney McKenna of
NPR Music's First Listen declared, "It's the work of an artist sure to stun audiences for years to come."[15]The Wall Street Journal stated, "The album is an introduction to a seasoned, major vocalist that stands to be remembered as a breakthrough."[20]
The album was listed as 48th in
Rolling Stone's list of "The 50 Best of Album of 2019" and third in their "40 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2019".[21][22]
^Jonathan Bernstein; Jon Blistein; Jon Dolan; Patrick Doyle; Brenna Ehrlich; Suzy Exposito; Jon Freeman; David Fricke; Kory Grow; Will Hermes; Christian Hoard; Charles Holmes; Joseph Hudak; Brendan Klinkenberg; Elias Leight; Angie Martoccio; Claire Shaffer; Rob Sheffield; Hank Shteamer; Brittany Spanos; Simon Vozick-Levinson (5 December 2019).
"The 50 Best Albums of 2019". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 January 2020.