Sabrina Claudio, “Fall in Love with Her.”

It takes a special kind of artist to not only tap into a genre effortlessly, but to also give it a unique feel. This is true for singer and songwriter Sabrina Claudio on her fifth album, Fall In Love With Her.

With her follow-up to 2023’s Archives & Lullabies, we get a Claudio who sweeps listeners away on an open, vulnerable trek through the ups and downs of love and personal growth. Raw and stripped back, oftentimes only with a guitar and some soft percussion accompanying her, it allows for her aching, smooth vocals to shine as she meshes soulful elements with pop.

Though her voice is soft, it holds a lot of power and emotional depth, as do the themes on these songs. On album closer “Memory Foam,” Claudio uses a mattress as a metaphor to showcase her strength and resilience to come back from heartbreak.

“My heart is like memory foam/ No matter the weight, it always goes back to form,” she sings softly. In the arrangement, meanwhile, strings and percussion grow and encompass her, almost therapeutically allowing her to heal and come to the conclusion that she can “try again.”

Single “Need U To Need Me” bursts with stunning instrumentals as Claudio ponders if a relationship will last, or if it’s doomed to fail. “I wonder if I’m an essential/ Or is this only momentarily?” she croons as a harp glides through like stardust. Though short lyrically, this song is filled with dazzling harmonies and strings that make this interlude-like song feel like a dream within a dream.

“Sail” pulls from soul artists like Frank Ocean, Jhené Aiko and SZA. At its core, however, it’s undeniably Sabrina Claudio. The tune starts off mellow, but quickly grows and becomes electric as the instruments build upon each other. “Your gravity pulls me/ I drift to you,” Claudio sings with longing as the melody recedes. Afterward, it continues to beautifully ebb and flow.

Quiet ballad “Detoxing” is piano- and percussion-centered, with Claudio’s reverberant vocals conveying a sense of healing. There’s acknowledgement here of a love lost, of wanting it back, but understanding that some things are not meant to be. “Sometimes I drown/ Circling the drain…/ I’m still trying to flush you out…/ I’m on my therapy, every week,” she sings. During a pause, she lets out a loud sigh, and the song picks up even stronger than before—until abruptly ending in a glitch.

The title track, with singer/actress/model Tanerélle, is a stunning ballad on which the duo’s soulful voices melt together like butter. It also showcases the high production value of the record by STINT (Kesha, Carly Rae Jepsen, Demi Lovato). The details in every sound and the delicate string arrangements intertwining with the vocal harmonies make for a memorable and pivotal piece.

“Hopefully one day you’ll find me/ And fall in love with her,” they sing, clinging to hope. It’s an exceptional musical moment of self-love and grace.

“Before It’s Too Late” is as heartbreaking and reflective as it is poetic. Claudio looks back with honesty on her actions that contributed to the downfall of a relationship. “I should say less and listen without no contingent,” she sings, as the drumming drowns her out for a moment, and then retreat.

The sensual “Discouraged” picks up the tempo and pace for the middle of the album. “Oh, I hope I never have to heal from you/ But it’s worth the chance to love you if I do,” Sabrina Claudio wails as the sonic backing blurs around her.

“Worse Than Me” sounds like it could be straight from the ’90s, with a jazzy Sade-style melody. Claudio’s vocals take the forefront once more as she thinks back on an ex who brought out the worst in her. She then sings standout “Mi Luz” (“My Light”) entirely in Spanish. The song’s soft beat is a nod to her Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage.

A testament to growth, self-love and forgiveness to herself and to others, this album is a wonderful tribute to healing through reflection, creating, artistic expression and becoming the best version of ourselves. For an artist who’s already garnered success via collaboration (most notably, as a songwriter on Beyoncé’s “Plastic Off the Sofa”), it’s refreshing to see Claudio continue to evolve.

Follow writer Vera Maksymiuk at Twitter.com/veramaksymiuk.