WORTH A LOOK: ****

Tracklist: Where Hides Sleep; All Cried Out; Such Small Ale; All Signs Of Life; Can’t Say It Like I Mean It; Fire; Filigree; The Impervious Me; More; Is This Love?; Tongue Tied; My Right A.R.M; So Am I; My Best Day; World Without End; This House; Love Resurrection; You Don’t Have To Go

The bluesy voice, the unforgettable way with an uplifting pop melody, the idiosyncratic lyrics or occasional appearance by French and Saunders in a video – there were always a multitude of reasons to love Alison Moyet across her 40-year solo career.

• Read on for reasons including how Key unlocks a remarkable songbook that balances nostalgia with modern pop sensibilities

Taking a leaf out of Taylor Swift’s book, this 10th studio album celebrates a 40-year solo career by including re-interpretations and re-recordings of singles, deep cuts and 2 new songs including 1 co-written with Suede guitarist Richard Oakes.

We’ve seen Moyet live many times before including most recently at The 02 supporting Tears For Fears, headlining at London Palladium, Glastonbury Festival, Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Portsmouth Guildhall and the old Wembley Arena.

We said of that 2019 02 gig: ‘She has mastered the art of peppering her latest set with recent highlights of her recorded work.’ Of the Palladium in 2017 we said: ‘Particularly memorable is Moyet’s flawless vocal, deep and rich but also capable of soaring up to the highest heights at a moment’s notice.’

Key unlocks a quite remarkable solo songbook dating back to the 80s that balances nostalgia with modern pop sensibilities to produce a cohesive set of tunes that Moyet will take on a sold-out tour across the world next year.

Some beloved tracks fare less well in the transition with the Dave Stewart co-write Is This Love? (a number 3 hit in 1986) undergoing a considerable gear change.

Elsewhere we’d forgotten quite how joyful yet thoughtful the Ian Broudie (Lightning Seeds) co-writes My Best Day and So Am I are and they bring a real spring to the step with depth of the latter parts of this fine collection.

Debut solo single and top 10 UK hit Love Resurrection is most successful in retaining the original’s allure yet recasting it with an electronic backing that hints at how Yazoo, the group with which she found fame with Vince Clarke, might have matured given time.

The best of the new tracks is that Oakes co-write – Such Small Ale – boasting lyrics we can imagine no-one else thinking of and a tune that sets feet tapping.

Key is Moyet’s 1st album to go top 10 (number 8 this week) since 2013’s The Minutes and she plays the London Palladium in spring for a sold-out UK tour that seems to have deservedly rekindled interest in 1 of pop’s most recognisable voices.

• Main pictures via Facebook courtesy Alison Moyet Tickets
• Have you seen an Alison Moyet show before and what did you think of this 1? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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