Imogen Heap - Ellipse (
out now on Megaphonic)
I was particularly hyped for this release, and fortunately I wasn't disappointed. After watching Heap's week by week video blogs as the album was being worked on, I felt oddly attached to the album before it had been released. Whilst this was undoubtedly a subliminal marketing strategy, the idea certainly worked and had me hooked from the fade in of the album's opening, 'Last Train Home.' Highlights for me include, 'Wait It Out', 'Swoon' and 'Tidal' (non of which are scheduled for single release). I felt there were a few dodgy lines (lyrically) here and there on some of the more experimental (for Heap) tracks, but this aside, a really great listen. 8/10
David Guetta - One Love (
out now on Virgin)
Oh dear, where to start... with the internet awash with rumours that Guetta produced little of the material on this album, I personally had little hope that this release would have any feel of what an artist album should be. My concerns were met with what appears to be a bunch of (standardly boring) electro-house tinged club instrumentals, each with their own tacked on high quality (in sound) pop vocal. The album sounds very much like the instrumentals have been knocked up and mixed, been sent off for remote (vocal) recording and then had the neccessary stereo vocal stems added and levelled on top of the instrumental mixes (I shudder at the thought). There appears to be little in the way of any album structure to this record, and whilst it will make a shedload of revenue in Europe, largely off the back of Guetta's name as a DJ, I'm not expecting 'One Love' to be an album anyone listens to past the end of the year. 3/10
Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3 (
out now on Rocnation)
After hearing reports across reputable BBC radio shows that The Blueprint 3 was not up to the usual standard we've come to expect fom Jay-Z, I was pleasantly surprised upon first listen to the album all the way through. The album itself is exactly what was needed from the Rocnation camp as far as I'm concerned, and having tracks with Jeezy, Alicia Keys and Pharell (whilst arguably not that original in selection) just add further present day credibility to this release. Listeners looking for an album more like the first Blueprint (and moaning that this is not that) and earlier albums need to wake up and smell the coffee, this is 2009 and Jay-Z has delivered an album that is very much worthy of current time respect. A few notoriously sketchy lines here and there isn't going to keep me from listening, and with tracks like 'Real As It Gets' and 'Empire State of Mind' I'm not planning on pressing stop anytime soon. Big. 7/10
