The 2nd coming of Springsteen
There are also new releases from Joy Crookes and The Beatles
JOY CROOKES — SKIN
AFTER A lengthy wait, Joy Crookes has finally come through with her debut album, and she does not disappoint.
The soul singer has been capturing hearts for the last few years and was nominated for BBC Music’s Sound Of 2020 and the Brit Awards rising star award.
The 23-year-old has now produced Skin, a 13-piece experience that treats listeners to brass bands, an 18-strong string section, soothing lyrics and her rich vocals.
The south Londoner, who is of mixed Irish and Bangladeshi heritage, has said the album is about her identity.
“It is an autobiographical body of work covering subjects from casual sex to generational trauma, abuse of power and mental health.”
The track Trouble offers a joyful beat layered with smooth, rhythmic lyrics, while later songs, such as To Lose Someone and Unlearn You, deliver moments of reflection with gentle piano chords and luring violin strings. The title track creates a cinematic experience with powerful vocals and a building orchestral accompaniment, leaving you wondering if she could take on a James Bond theme one day.
The record is said to have been written by Crookes between the ages of 15 and 21, and if this is a sign of her early talent, it offers an exciting prospect of what the future holds for this young powerhouse. 9/10
(Review by Naomi Clarke)
THE BEATLES — LET IT BE SPECIAL EDITION (SUPER DELUXE)
OFTEN referred to as The Beatles’ breakup album, Let It Be will always be a source of fascination for fans of the band.
This special re-release of the 1970 record features plenty of new material for listeners to get their teeth into, including 27 previously unreleased session recordings and a four-track Let It Be EP.
This edition of the album has been newly mixed by producer Giles Martin, son of “fifth Beatle” Sir George Martin, and sound engineer Sam Okell.
As with the original release, this new album is also accompanied by a documentary, this time titled The Beatles: Get Back and crafted by Peter Jackson.
Sir Paul McCartney has said the film serves as a “powerful reminder” of the “wonderful times” the band had together at the time of the album’s release, a stark contrast to the traditional narrative of conflict and strife among the group.
The remastered and unreleased recordings show the songs in a fresh light and breathe new life into one of the most significant albums of the 20th century.
7/10
(Review by Tom Horton)
FRANK CARTER AND THE RATTLESNAKES — STICKY
IT’S ASTOUNDING that Frank Carter is still only a cult concern.
After stints in hardcore punks Gallows and alternative rockers Pure Love, the Hertfordshire-raised frontman has settled into a fruitful creative partnership with guitarist Dean Richardson.
Now on album four, they have honed their sound over six years of raucous shows.
Despite being produced during lockdown, the band say Sticky is the antithesis of a lockdown record.
It channels the pent-up energy, anger and bubbling frustration felt by all of us over the last 18 months — often in the most garish, cartoonish way.
Go Get A Tattoo is a far cry from the deadly serious social commentary of Carter’s time in Gallows, while tracks such as Bang Bang and Take It To The Brink have a thuggish swagger.
My Town reaches anthemic heights while portraying Britain at its worst — full of violence, dirty needles and dog poo.
Listeners may come to Carter for their dose of cathartic punk, but Sticky also offers a side serving of devilish humour, plus guest slots from the likes of Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie and Idles frontman Joe Talbot. Of all his back catalogue, Sticky offers the most complex vision of Carter, a man of both anger and comedy.
8/10
(Review by Alex Green)
SAM FENDER — SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER
IT MAY be more than a decade since The Libertines, Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party sat atop the charts but still the British music landscape is filled with indie bands.
Most have little to differentiate themselves from the next, so it makes it extra special when an artist like Sam Fender comes along, who simultaneously manages to reinvigorate the man-with-guitar template while keeping things decidedly classic.
The 27-year-old from North Shields outdoes himself on his second album, Seventeen Going Under, rising above the only intermittent brilliance of his 2019 debut Hypersonic Missiles and casting off the weight of being named the Brit Awards rising star.
Fender has been hailed as the second coming of Bruce Springsteen and Seventeen Going Under does nothing to dispel this idea.
From the opening track, drums clatter at marching pace, a saxophone squeals and Fender alternates between soaring choruses and searing social commentary — all hallmarks of The Boss but executed with a unique swagger.
His songs touch on issues rarely addressed in mainstream rock: how working class people are the big losers in the culture war, the pressures of young manhood and the callousness of the state.
His mixture of remorse, anger and world-weariness is a potent one and when he sings “I see my mother / The DWP see a number” on the title track, it’s clear this is an intimate pain. 8/10
(Review by Alex Green)