Album releases

AVRIL LAVIGNE

Head Above Water ★★★★

Lavigne has always worn her artistic heart on her sleeve but seldom with as ferocious or focussed impact as on this, her sixth album and first release since 2014’s Lyme disease diagnosis.

From the opening title track, Avril’s perfect anthems, breakdown ballads (Tell Me Its Over) and acoustic confessionals (Goddess) represent an all-encompassing fightback. This album repays Lavigne’s diehard fans’ faith many times over.

CHAKA KHAN

Hello Happiness ★★★★

Twelve years since the funk rock queen released an album, the double Grammywinning corker Funk This, Hello Happiness shows Chaka Khan has lost none of her sass.

Following in the footsteps of such stellar Khan collaborators as Prince and Stevie Wonder, producer Switch and writer Sarah Ruba Taylor have much to live up to. To their credit they serve her superlatively, and the big dislocating beats and guitar sorcery of Don’t Cha Know play to her still potent strengths. Smiles assured.

RY X

Unfurl ★★★

The Australian singer songwriter, aka Ry Cuming, achieved such breakout wordof-mouth popularity on release of his 2016 debut that even Rihanna tapped him for a remix. Not hard to hear why – locating the sweet spot somewhere between James Blake, Thom Yorke and Jeff Buckley, his orchestrations and svelte electronica are a finely balanced and luxurious concoction.

Dreamy harmonies and lyrics consolidate his appeal, reaching a peak on The Water, without even breaking a sweat.