Album releases

ALL SAINTS Testament ★★

The fifth album from 90s girl group on the comeback trail foregrounds the slick but slight songwriting of Shaznay Lewis, tailored to her colleagues simpering attributes. Producer William Orbit, responsible for their biggest hits, is on hand for the superior After All and Testament In Motion. Much of the rest manages to be both frothy and rather full of itself. On the penultimate Glorious, the triumphalist “we’ll always be victorious” chorus is not really warranted by what precedes it.

UNDERWORLD & IGGY POP Teatime Dub Encounters ★★★

David Bowie once suggested making a spoken word album with the irrepressible Ig recounting his wild and wired times. That never happened but this short album recorded on the fly in London’s Savoy Hotel makes full use of Iggy’s louche, charismatic, funny and candid insights. Feeding off Underworld’s empathetic (I’ll See Big) and eruptive (Bells & Circles) backdrops, Iggy delivers a memoir by default – hard truths, mad cackling laughter and reminiscences laced with sarcasm. Clever and colourful.

VARIOUS Trojan 50 Box Set ★★★★

Trojan was launched in 1968 to bring Jamaica’s endlessly influential sounds to the world. This box set containing both vinyl singles and albums, CDS, a book and memorabilia is the flagship release in a series of more modest but equally vital collections. Ever invigorating classics (Dave and Ansel Collins, Desmond Dekker) blend with JA genius (Lee Perry, Bob Marley, Toots Hibbert), vocal legends (Jimmy Cliff, Susan Cadogan) and more. A timely reminder of the music that sparked a cross-cultural revolution.