SOUND JUDGEMENT

THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED

BE RIGHT BACK JORJA SMITH

HHH HH Be Right Back is the West Midlands-raised talent’s first “proper” project in three years.

Despite stretching to eight tracks, this is not an album but a “waiting room to the album”, whatever that means. Nevertheless, Be Right Back sounds like a full-bodied work.

It hits some of the same notes as her debut Lost And Found: sensuous, soulful, deeply engrossing musically.

But the album excels on glossier, deeply produced tracks such as opener Addicted, in which Smith longs for her lover’s attention, and closer Weekend, a propulsive song about self-doubt.

Bring on the album, I say.

FAT POP (VOLUME 1) PAUL WELLER

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HHHH It seems The Modfather has finally managed to reconcile his rockier side with his experimental impulses.

At 62, Weller is undoubtedly in the midst of a purple patch, one that seems to be as successful commercially as it is critically.

Last year’s chart-topping On Sunset may have been released during lockdown but it was mainly recorded before.

Fat Pop is Weller’s first lockdown album proper. Its 12 tracks are a perfect synthesis of his recent years. Cosmic Fringes introduces the album as a spiky, antagonistic listen, Weller’s voice cracking as he mines Britpop for inspiration. Shades Of Blue is music hall psychedelia to make The Kinks proud, while Moving Canvas and The Pleasure dive deep into Motown and disco.

DADDY’S HOME ST VINCENT

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HHH If St Vincent is a new-age David Bowie, then Daddy’s Home is surely her Young Americans – and not just because of the gospel-soul backing vocals and a new love of oversized shirt collars.

Having slowly dialled up the bombast over the course of a decade to the point of becoming a bona fide arena rock star, the artist born Annie Clark clearly felt there was little room remaining on that trajectory.

The real muse for Daddy’s Home, though, is signalled by the album’s tongue-in-cheek title. Clark’s father went to prison in 2010 for his role in a stock manipulation scheme, something she understandably kept close to her chest until it was revealed around five years ago.

His release in 2019 has prompted a collection of songs inspired by the 1970s New York record collection he brought her up on, together serving as a surprisingly warm study of the seedier side of city life.