SOUND JUDGEMENT

THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED

MABEL HIGH EXPECTATIONS ★★★★ ★

MABEL is finally dropping her debut album, having been a regular on the music scene for the past four years.

The R&B and pop star, who enjoyed a breakthrough in 2017 with Finders Keepers, has taken her time with her first full collection, but it truly was worth the wait.

Through infectious, upbeat, tropical house-infused R&B tracks, Mabel bares her soul while also having fun, conscious to give her fans a prompt to reflect inwardly and to feel, but also a reason to enjoy themselves. The production and musicality is on point, cleverly crafted to feel both current and nostalgic.

LITTLE BOOTS JUMP EP ★★★★ ★

THE latest EP from prolific electropop songwriter and DJ Little Boots features four coolly ethereal tracks perfectly suited for the summer.

The lyrics are secondary to the pulsating beats: this sort of music is aimed at the hips rather than the head, and Little Boots proves adept at creating music guaranteed to sound as good on the average car stereo as it will in its natural habitat of blissed-out Ibiza beach parties.

VOLBEAT REWIND, REPLAY, REBOUND ★★★ ★★

HEAVY metal isn’t meant to be fun. It’s meant to be deadly serious. But Copenhagen four-piece Volbeat didn’t get the memo.

Now on album seven, their fusion of metal and rockabilly has consistently propelled them to the top of the international charts. Maybe it’s their virtuosic musicianship. Or it could be frontman Michael Poulsen’s clear and catchy vocals.

Rewind The Exit nails this combination. Poulsen’s voice floats, melancholic, as guitarist Rob Caggiano shreds below.

The band’s roots in metal, show most clearly in tracks like Cheapside Sloggers and Leviathan. Seal The Deal & Let’s Boogie, released three years ago, was branded one-note by some fans but Rewind, Replay, Rebound is anything but. Their pedigree, forged in small-time metal bands, shines through in musicianship and their ear for a solo.