While her previous album, Seaside, presented a 10-track love letter to her home town of Hastings, The Right To Love features 10 beautifully arranged songs that present a paean to love itself in all its guises. Some of Carroll's most beloved songwriters are included, not least a soulful reworking of Hoagy Carmichael's ‘Skylark’ prefaced by Kirk Whalum's canorous tenor sax and incorporating dreamy analogue synth riffs courtesy of album producer James McMillan. Suggested by Chip Crawford, Gregory Porter's pianist, Carroll's singing on the title track is by turns heart-warming and true, and her recapitulation of the line “ooh, the sweet look of wonder” is one of the most uplifting and joyous things in recorded music. Carroll's articulation of the pain and joy of living, an ineffable mixture of exultation and sorrow, lights up a tremulous ‘If You Go Away’ (framed by atmospheric bowed vibes work from McMillan), while the way she navigates the beautiful middle-eight of ‘You Don't Know What Love Is’ is breathtaking. There's a goosebump-raising trio version of ‘Lately’ featuring pitch-perfect accompaniment from Edwards and Jaimes, while the latter accompanies Carroll in a stripped back, scat-tastic take on ‘Georgia On My Mind’. Dedicated to her mother, Clare, the collection is brought to a close by the raw emotional power of ‘I Get Along Without You Very Well’. A staggeringly fine album, I can think of no other collection this year that's made such an indelible impression.