ALBUM REVIEWS
Holly Humberstone – Work In Progress (EP)
A mere five months after the release of her debut album, singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone is back with a follow-up four-track EP. The silky chorus of single Dive highlights Humberstone’s angelic voice, while the the upbeat and faster-paced Down Swinging stands out from the other tracks. The acoustic closing track, Easy Tiger, is a beautiful composition, aided by the stripped-back instrumentation. Humberstone’s gentle vocals continue across this EP in what feels like a continuation of Paint My Bedroom Black. With her own artistic vision about her and maintaining the same quality as her previous release, Humberstone has done it again on what is hopefully a stopgap between albums.
Caity Baser – Still Learning (Mixtape) Review by Mason Oldridge
Singer-songwriter Caity Baser unleashes her first full-length release, though there may be good reason for a mixtape rather than a studio album. The record is full of energetic pop songs but the end result is let down by chaotic production, overpowering vocals and childish lyrics. Baser has previously mentioned that she doesn’t care about public opinion on her music, and while there is a similarity to Lily Allen about this, the effort to present this attitude comes on a little strong in what feels like a big middle finger to the world. With topics such as pretty boys and polygamy, the tracks feel more aligned with high-school experiences than those of a 21-year-old musical artist. Compared with her contemporaries such as Mimi Webb and Tate McRae, there is a lack of maturity and artistic vision.
Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well Review by Rachel Vickers-Price
Kacey Musgraves is no stranger to drama, and her fifth studio album shows how the Texan is rising above it all. Deeper Well completes her transformation from country music darling to folk-pop songstress. In spite of the 2022 Grammys controversy that saw her nixed from all country music award categories, the singer is doing her own thing and is making that very clear to her haters with a melodic, sweet, yet occasionally sombre record. This is an album of a woman grown up, who has walked through fire and has lived to tell the tale. She has experienced both love and loss and has learned to love again. Deeper Well offers up 14 tracks of rainy-day singer-songwriter goodness, reminiscent of Joshua Radin with, at times, slight touches of bluesyfolk feels a la Norah Jones. Don’t let this one slip by.
The Black Crowes – Happiness B ****** s Review by Duncan Seaman
Having put past disagreements behind them, brothers Chris and Rich Robinson have assembled a new line-up of The Black Crowes that rocks as hard as the classic ensembles that made Shake Your Money Maker and The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. In their notes for Happiness B ****** s, the pair point to their early love of AC/DC and the Anglo-Australian rock group’s influence is all over Rich’s ripsnorting riff for the song Rats and Clowns; Wanting and Waiting is another that blows the doors down with its evocation of mid-1970s Rolling Stones. The pace cools with Wilted Rose, a brokenhearted duet with country singer Lainey Wilson, before picking up again on Dirty Cold Sun and the none-more-Stonesy Flesh Wound. Their best record in 30 years.