SOUND JUDGEMENT

THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED

CAPE GOD ALLIE X

★★★★★ IF YOU like your pop albums generously laced with electric, indie rock and retro funk elements – and to keep you on your toes – then Canadian singer-songwriter Allie X’s is for you. Cape God, a subversion of the popular elite US summertime destination, sees the 34-year-old sing about identity, belonging and redefining oneself.

Darker emotions are clearly felt on Devil I Know, while other highlights include album opener Fresh Laundry, a moody, beatdriven synth-pop song that shows off her impressive falsetto vocal, and the epic Love Me Wrong featuring Aussie Troye Sivan.

CHANGES JUSTIN BIEBER

★★★★★ THE Canadian former child star, now 25, has stripped away the pop hooks and memorable melodies that made him famous, for Changes, his fifth album and his first since 2015’s Grammy Award-winning Purpose.

If that album saw Bieber staking his claim as a mature artist then this is the sound of a singer exploring his artistry with a newfound confidence.

Changes oozes a cool confidence not heard before in Bieber’s music.

While some of its lyrics might miss the mark, it’s a leap in the right direction.

THE MYTHOS SUITE STEPHEN FRY AND DEBBIE WISEMAN

★★★★★ INSPIRED by Stephen Fry’s highly acclaimed and entertaining re-telling of the classic tales, Mythos, composer Debbie Wiseman worked with the author and actor to create a five-part suite.

Fry’s ever-recognisable voice is accompanied by Wiseman’s music in a match made on Mount Olympus. Including characters from Zeus to Apollo, tales of child-eating primordial beings and romance in the underworld are met with music that is aptly triumphant, sorrowful and rich.

Fans of Fry will struggle not to be delighted, while lovers of classical music will appreciate the carefully crafted melodies, helped by five instrumental-only tracks interspersing the album.