ALBUMS OF THE WEEK

John Legend Bigger Love Columbia, out now ★★★★★

From La La Land to Ooh Laa,

John Legend swaps a credible showing in the 2018 blockbuster musical for an opening track that shoo-wop shoo-wops forth on a memory of fifties fivesome the Flamingos’ I Only Have Eyes For You. The 41-year-old follows with Actions ‘that speak louder than love songs’ then it’s a quick spin under the glitter ball for I Do and One Life before the lights go down for Wild and eyes down for a full house of seduction techniques on U Move I Move and Favorite Place. He wants to ‘bring out each flavour and spice’ but despite all that stirring he promises that he is a Slow Burner and is also Focused on the job at hand. This is not for the Normal People generation, this is back to

Barry White, Brut, bog tans and Bundoran for holidays. Brace yourself.

Black Eyed Peas Translation Epic, out now ★★★★★

Perhaps the most admirable thing about Black Eyed Peas is their sense of timing. Their 2018 comeback album, Masters Of The Sun Vol. 1 was a return to their hip hop roots and was in step with the burgeoning Black Lives Matter movement. I look forward to hearing Masters Of The Sun Vol. 2 but Translation won’t be on my playlist. It plays like a succession of Tik Tok soundtracks and with Will.i.am’s business nous probably was so designed. Fergie’s gone, but Shakira sings then yowls on

Girl Like Me. It’s bad and that’s as good as it gets. Ritmo appropriates the joyful chorus of Corona’s classic Rhythm Of The Night but sounds like a lonesome drunken chant echoing in an alley. Vida

Loca is worse than MC Hammer’s risible U Can’t Touch This from which large parts of it takes its inspiration.