ALBUM REVIEW

ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Light It Up by Will Young (August 2024)

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WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2

TRACKLIST: Falling Deep; Light It Up; Feels Just Like A Win; Midnight; Me Without You; The Worst; No Man’s Land; Talk About It; Everything But You; I Won’t Let You Down

He’s not had a top 40 hit single since Jealousy made the top 5 in 2011 yet, perhaps ironically, Young has never been more lyrically and musically interesting than he is on this, his 9th album and 1st of new material for 5 years.

  • Read on for reasons including how it feels like a win to have him ploughing his own furrow and worrying less about fitting in
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Vertigo by Griff (July 2024)

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WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2

TRACKLIST: Vertigo; Miss Me Too; Into The Walls; 19th Hour; Astronaut; Anything; Pillow In My Arms; Cycles; Tears For Fun; Hiding Alone; Hole In My Pocket; Everlasting; So Fast; Where Did You Go

We 1st saw Griff supporting Dua Lipa at The 02 in May 2022 and almost exactly 2 years later she opened for Taylor Swift (pictured left with Griff right) at Wembley Stadium.

  • Read on for reasons including how this collection fully justifies her long-awaited promotion from superstar stadium support act to thrilling headliner
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: ELLE by Dagny (June 2024)

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WORTH A LOOK?: ****

TRACKLIST: Heartbreak In The Making; Same Again (For Love); Ray-Bans; Somebody’s Baby; Hate Being Alone; Strawberry Dream; Close; In My Bones

‘Maybe we’re not made forever, maybe I don’t get to grow older with you, This house is keeping us together, we’re so Close but I’ve never felt further from you …’

  • Read on for reasons including how ELLE is set to be the album of our summer
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Radical Optimism by Dua Lipa (May 2024)

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WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2

TRACKLIST: End Of An Era; Houdini; Training Season; These Walls; Watcha Doing; French Exit; Illusion; Falling Forever; Anything For Love; Maria; Happy For You

Next month Dua Lipa headlines the Friday night on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival and this album appears very much to have been written with that career-defining moment in mind.

  • Read on for reasons including why this is exactly the sort of album she needs under her belt to make Glastonbury successful
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Nonetheless by Pet Shop Boys (April 2024)

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

TRACKLIST: Loneliness; Feel; Why Am I Dancing?; New London Boy; Dancing Star; A New Bohemia; The Schlager Hit Parade; The Secret Of Happiness; Bullet For Narcissus; Love Is The Law

Written in lockdown, this 15th Pet Shop Boys studio album bursts with reflection, introspection and liberation in equal measure.

  • Read on for reasons including how this is the Boys’ best album since 1993’s Very
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Glorious by Bananarama (March 2024)

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK: ****

TRACKLIST: Really Saying Something; Cruel Summer; Robert De Niro’s Waiting; Venus; More Than Physical; A Trick Of The Night; I Heard A Rumour; Love In The First Degree; Only Your Love; Preacher Man; I Could Be Persuaded; Movin’ On; Last Thing On My Mind; Every Shade Of Blue; Take Me To Your Heart; Prove Your Love; If; Crazy; Move In My Direction; Look On The Floor; Feel For You; Love Bite; Love Comes; Love Don’t Live Here; 17; Extraordinary; Baby It’s Christmas; Now Or Never; La La Love; Stuff Like That; Looking For Someone; I’m On Fire; It’s Gonna Be Alright; Favourite; Masquerade; Forever Young; Running With The Night; Cruel Summer (3am Mix); Feel the Love; Supernova

Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin have been a duo as Bananarama for the last 33 years of their 44-year career and so this curated album finds them choosing 10 tracks from each of the 4 decades of their career thus far.

  • Read on for reasons including how this album reminds how they’ve written some of pop’s finest moments across 40-plus years
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Venus by Zara Larsson (February 2024)

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WORTH A LOOK?: ****

TRACKLIST: Can’t Tame Her; More Than This Was; On My Love; Ammunition; None Of These Guys; You Love Who You Love; End Of Time; Nothing; Escape; Soundtrack; Venus; The Healing

It’s final track The Healing where Larsson feels at her most personal: ‘Can I be with you after the hurting? After the monsters in my head are finally gone? But can I be with you after the healing?’

  • Read on for reasons including how to see Larsson on tour in London this month
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Guys And Dolls at the Bridge Theatre (December 2023)

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

TRACKLIST: Runyonland; Fugue For Tinhorns; Follow The Fold; Oldest established; I’ll Know; A Bushel And A Peck; Adelaide’s Lament; Guys And Dolls; Havana; If I Were A Bell; My Time Of Day; I’ve Never Been In Love Before; Entr’acte; Take Back Your Mink; Adelaide’s Second Lament; Crapshooter’s Ballet; Luck Be A Lady; Sue Me; Sit Down You’re Rocking The Boat; the Guys Follow The Fold; Adelaide Meets Sarah; Mary The Man Today; Runyonland; Happy Ending

There can be few revivals we’ve enjoyed more this year than Guys And Dolls at the Bridge Theatre which has extended its run at least twice and is now booking until 31 August 2024.

  • Read on for reasons including why this album is worth a punt but is no substitute for seeing the show
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Sorry, I’m Late by Mae Muller (October 2023)

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By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

TRACKLIST: I Just Came To Dance; Sorry Daniel; Bitch With A Broken Heart; I Wrote A Song; Me, Myself And I; Tatiana; Somebody New; I Wish I Could Hate You; A Little Bit Sad; MTJL; Breathe; Something Real; Nervous (In A Good Way); Better Days; Porn Lied To Us; Miss America; Written By A Woman

Muller has co-written all but 1 of the 17 songs here and there’s a line in the downbeat, reflective and extraordinarily vulnerable MTJL (Maybe That’s Just Life) that says: ‘I wish I was a better singer, or better than I am. I wish one little thing would go to plan.’

  • Read on for reasons including why this is 1 of the year’s best albums
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Tension by Kylie (September 2023)

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

TRACKLIST: Padam Padam; Hold On To Now; Things We Do For Love; Tension; One More Time; You Still Get Me High; Hands; Green Light; Vegas High; 10 Out Of 10; Story

There were 18 months between the 1st time we saw Kylie live on the Enjoy Yourself tour at the now-no-more London Arena in Docklands in 1990 and the 2nd on the Let’s Get To It tour at the old Wembley Arena.

  • Read on for reasons including why this is 1 of the most thrilling points of Kylie’s musical career
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