THIS WEEK’S CD RELEASES

The Ride Nelly Furtado (Nelstar/Eleven Seven)

After 2012’s The Spirit Indestructible, Furtado went on hiatus and re-evaluated her career. Now the Canadian singer is reinvigorated. Sounding like her friend St Vincent with more hooks and less wilful experimentation, tracks like Cold Hard Truth, Flatline and Carnival Games are electropop bangers. The slow country-blues number Pipe Dreams shimmies along on a slide guitar riff. Tap Dancing is a swipe at her critics. She is unafraid to explore new ground on her albums; this seam could be mined profitably again.

Automaton Jamiroquai (Virgin EMI)

Big-hatted petrol-head Jay Kay has been off the musical radar since 2010’s album Road Dust Light Star. The social media buzz created by the release of the title track in January suggests his time may have come around again. But it is as good as it gets. Hot Property and Cloud Nine are typical of too many throwaway tracks and others such as Nights In The Jungle, Summer Girl and Dr Buzz just go on to long. He blasted off the start line at a great clip but then the star with the pricey cars chugs along to the finish line.

Darling Darling (Rapture)

Dublin duo Gary Harding and James McGuire share musical DNA with groups such as The La’s and Suede. Current bands such as Blossoms and Catfish And The Bottlemen are being fêted for ploughing similar musical furrows. It’s Only Love has more than a hint of The Wonder Stuff about its up-and-at-‘em hooks. The swaying Bright Light is a potential summer festival anthem. As former mainstays of Dublin band The Kinetics, they deserved more success than they achieved. Darling could partly right that wrong.