Review: This release showcases Boyz II Men at the height of their artistry, blending tender ballads with smooth, groove-oriented r&b that defined the genre in the 90s. Their vocal arrangements are a masterclass in harmony, with each track effortlessly combining emotion and technical brilliance. From slow-burning melodies to upbeat rhythms, the music reflects both their roots in doo-wop and their evolution as global r&b icons. The production remains clean and timeless, emphasising the group's ability to convey raw sentiment with polished delivery. Whether reliving memories or discovering their sound for the first time, listeners will find themselves immersed in the heartfelt craftsmanship that made Boyz II Men one of the most influential r&b groups of their era.
Review: Sabrina Carpenter has very quickly become a new school pop sensation. She has the look, the sound, the songs, and was also given a huge boost by being the support act on the recent and epic Taylor Swift tour. Short n’ Sweet is her new albumi and one that captures the vibrant energy of Carpenter with plenty of sugary hooks, catchy grovers and dazzling produciton flourishes. With a gold album and multiple platinum singles to her name, it’s no surprise that 'Espresso,' the lead single from her upcoming album, has it all—witty lyrics that make you smile and songwriting so clever you’ll wish you’d written it yourself. The rest of the tracks are not far different.
Review: Carpenter embraces the holiday spirit with a playful and modern twist. A festive reimagining of her earlier work, the release brims with cheeky wordplay and shimmering pop production. Tracks like the opening number reinvent familiar holiday tropes with wit and charm, while others pair Carpenter's signature catchy melodies with a distinctly festive warmth. A rework of a seasonal classic closes the record on a high note, showcasing her vocal versatility and contemporary approach. This is a fresh and vibrant take on holiday music, as fun as it is memorable.
Review: American singer and former Disney starlet Sabrina Carpenter delivers her sixth album, Short n' Sweet, following up 2022's Emails I Can't Send. It's only natural that Carpenter swerve terse after said prior record dealt in lengthier themes of abjection and unsent, gushing letters; this time around, Sabrina appears purged of her former gripes with love-life, its lead single 'Espresso' manifesting as the neo-funk ode to give-a-fucks sent flying ("I can't relate to desperation" she croons). A stark and carefree contrast to the longing for belonging potrayed on her last record.
Review: Roan's debut LP, released in 2023, has catapulted her to stardom, poised to top the UK charts and marking her set at Lollapalooza as one of the festival's most-attended. Her meteoric rise, fueled by her support role on Olivia Rodrigo's Guts tour and the success of the single 'Good Luck, Babe!', has been impressive. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is a showcase of Roan's fearless songwriting, blending intense revelations with irresistibly catchy choruses. To commemorate the album's one-year anniversary, Island Records has announced a limited-edition 2xLP in 'my kink is coral' vinyl. This release celebrates the album's cultural impact, from its iconic 'Pink Pony Club' costumes to the viral 'HOT TO GO!' dance, solidifying Roan's is here to stay.
Review: Julian Cope's My Nation Underground is an album ready for rediscovery and it now gets reissued as a faithful replica of the original 1988 Mercury Records UK release and pressed on high-quality 180g vinyl. Following the success of Saint Julian, Cope surprised fans by changing his band lineup and blending funk with Krautrock with veteran producer Ron Fair at the helm. The album includes three singles, mostly notably 'Charlotte Anne' which was a minor US hit. The opener, '5 O'Clock World', is a cover of a 1965 Vogues song and is upbeat and poppy, while the seven-minute title track uniquely combines go-go beats with post-punk elements.
Review: Acid casualty, the guy who slashed his own chest with a broken microphone in a shocking on-stage act of self-mutilation. Recluse. Genius. Julian Cope has been called many things by public and press alike, often unfairly and without much to really back up the red-top headlines. Dig deeper, and we find someone who has been woefully misunderstood and - to be honest - was ahead of their times, or maybe just out of sync with the time-space continuum we're familiar with. Saint Julian, his third solo album, is a record that has less of the outright experimentation of Cope's exploits up to that point, and would spawn what remains his best-selling single of all time - 'World Shut Your Mouth' (also the title of his first LP). In this instance, the sound is resolutely mainstream without being cheesy and sticks a flag in the ground for high energy rock & roll with high concept parts. Enough to garner positive reviews across the board when it first landed.
Review: As part of a wider Cranberries reissues bundle, the Irish dream pop favourites' third album To The Faithful Departed is here reissued as an vinyl edition. The 1996 album features the later singles 'Salvation', 'Free to Decide' and 'When You're Gone', and while these were by no means such gargantuan successes as the likes of 'Zombie', they still dominated the rock and indie charts at the time. The 3CD deluxe edition offers the a selection of demos from the recording sessions in Paris, plus unreleased outtakes, early mixes, and and 12 live pieces recorded on the band's 1996 Free to Decide tour. This comes with an extensive booklet about the making of the album based on interviews with the remaining members of the band.
Review: To The Faithful Departed is the third studio album by The Cranberries and the successor album to No Need To Argue; by the time both albums had been released, the band had achieved international superstardom, owing to a radio-friendly dream pop sound and sentimental yet political lyrics. Now remembering the legacy of the band in its heyday, as well as the late lead singer Dolores O'Riordan, drummer Fergal Lawler commented on the reissue: "As difficult as it was to hear Dolores' voice, (the recordings) brought back many fond memories. I was shocked at how powerful they sounded and the strong emotions that I felt as I listened." This vinyl reissue - part of a wider vinyl/CD bundle - reissues select pieces from the original 15-track version on just a single LP and is just one option in a series of Deluxe versions, the others being an expanded 2xLP set and a 3xCD set.
Review: For those of a certain age, the sound of The Cranberries is the sound of their youth. They were big when radio was limited to whatever you could get by twisting your FM dial, and they often featured on whatever station you ended up at. Their well writing alternative rock songs have sweeping arrangements, lush orchestration and of course the slightly winy main vocals that were so easy to sing back with grungy riffs perfect for aping in mid air. This bumper collection of their best bits will take you right back to the 90s with 'Dreams', 'Linger' and more still sounding great.
Review: It is now a full decade since the Disclosure boys burst not the world sated with their Settle album. Not only is the artwork iconic, but the tunes too ushered in a new era of chart-friendly sounds and showed artists they needn't be afraid of popping their heads above the so-called underground. This special new version comes with all the original tunes, many of which were big hits for the duo, as well as bonus tracks. A full decade on they all sound as good as ever with the Surrey boys' production prowess still standing out. This one got platinum certification and topped the UK charts in its first week.
Review: Easy Life's new record is 45 minutes of bliss. It's their best since the Leicester five-piece's Life's A Beach and all 15 cuts will enrich your life with brilliant tunes such as 'Beeswax' and 'Dear Miss Holloway ft. Kevin Abstract. The soulful sounds all tackle the various issues that we all struggled with during the covid-19 pandemic. Lead vocalist Murray Matravers sings "I've been moving lateral, horizontal, vertical" just one minute into the first track on the album and it sums up the pace of this one perfectly. The band's cult fan base will lap this up while new fans are also sure to come flocking.
Review: Leeds indie stars English Teacher serve up a fantastic debut album here with 'This Could Be Texas'. Preceding hits 'The World's Biggest Paving Slab', 'Nearly Daffodils' and 'Mastermind Specialism' have all topped BBC 6 Music playlists and helped build the band quite the following. Their rise continued to soar after they appeared on Later With...Jools Holland, and they have since played a sold-out UK and US tour. Lead singer Lily Fontaine's vision for the album was "an odyssey to space, revealing Doncaster's likeness. It's about navigating in-betweens, cherishing home, and tracing Desire Paths." Fontaine reflects on being mixed-race in post-Brexit several times throughout the album and it comes here on lovely green vinyl.
Review: Florence Welch's globe-straddlingly successful epic-pop project has made its name largely through no-holds-barred emotion and rapturous melodrama, and although this third album has largely been trumpeted as a return to a more stripped-down and less over-the-top approach, long-term fans of the couture-clad siren needn't worry too much. 'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful' remains true to her heart-on-sleeve approach and the cinematic splendour she's made her trademark. Crucially, even beneath the orchestral arrangements and the life-or-death vocal declamations, the songs on this record shone through as memorable and emotive enough to withstand the level of ornamentation around them, and fit to have Florence's fearsome pipes send them skyward.
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