Monday, 17 February 2014

Katy B- Little Red Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Album- Little Red
Artist- Katy B

With the release of her debut album On a Mission, Katy B quickly became one of the rising stars of the UK music scene, gifting us with an array of club fuelled tracks that worked as the perfect soundtrack for getting ready for a night out. Yet when the album campaign ended and the singer started on a new record things arguably went quite quiet for the artist. But now Katy B is back and stronger than ever, having recently secured another top ten single. The singers sophomore set Little Red supposedly presents more of a mature outlook and a musical progression, but does Katy B still have the power to charm us in the way she did a couple of years ago?

Track 1- Next Thing

Opening track Next Thing starts the record off with a bang as Katy confidently tells us to keep our coats on, as she takes us to the next big hot spot and leaves others wanting more. The lyrics are catchy and simple with Katy showing off a greater level of confidence and a sense of maturity that comes with age. The vocal performance furthers this sense of maturity in terms of the singer’s smooth tone and icy cool vibe that she creates, whilst the confident style of the vocal sounds brilliant against the rumbling electro beats that are simple but effective, and which definitely makes you want to dance, with the songs only downfall being the slight annoyance that comes with the over repeating of the hook.

3.5/5

Track 2- 5 AM

Lead single 5 AM is a slinky slice of disco tinged dance music that finds the singer in a post party state of needing affection, as she searches for a one night stand. Lyrically the track veers into some poor territory with such ideas like love being like valium, but the overall concept and execution is intriguing. Vocally Katy definitely makes up for the lyrical choices, with the singer providing us with a wistful, light and smooth vocal performance that perfectly encapsulates that feeling of sensuality and coming down from a post party high. Keeping the dance floor rhythms quite simple with the stuttering house beats creates an equally as smooth sound for the track that makes it work well as both a potential club hit and a song you can just listen to on the radio and bop along to.

3.5/5

Track 3- Aaliyah (featuring Jessie Ware)

Originally featuring on the singers Danger E.P., Aaliyah is a fun house track that finds Katy teaming up with fellow British singer songwriter Jessie Ware. The song finds the two girls fighting for the love and affections of this DJ, with the song having a strong hook, whilst the essence of a passionate plea makes the song more impactful. Katy is smooth and exudes a sense of warmth within her vocal, whilst Ware perfectly compliments the singer, as her vocals are a bit deeper and slightly more wistful, working as a vocal that is very similar but that little bit different, which just creates a very dynamic tune. The bleeping electro house beats create a stomping dance ready vibrancy to the track that forces out the jealous tone a little bit more, and which creates a fun essence to the tune that marks it as a potential single.

3.5/5

Track 4- Crying for No Reason

The singer’s most recent top ten, Crying for No Reason takes the record into ballad territory and slows the pace down from the dance floor grooves of the opening numbers. Here we find the singer telling us of how she brushes her problems aside, but burying her feelings just causes them to erupt in uncontrollable ways. The lyrics are astute and sophisticated and taps into the negative feelings that come with age, whilst vocally Katy sounds superb, bringing the right level of vulnerability and maturity to the track to just give the ballad a sophisticated sheen. Producer Geeneus does a great job with the overall sound of the track, exposing the emotional intensity amidst a sea of thumping drums and shimmering synths that increase the songs power but which doesn’t distract from the lyrics or the vocals, giving us a ballad that works in all areas.

4/5

Track 5- I Like You

Taking us back to more of a house driven, get you dancing sound, I Like You finds Katy simply declaring her feelings for this man and hoping that he feels the same way. The quality of simply relating your feelings is nice, but the lyrics of the song are a bit over repetitive and doesn’t show that development of maturity that the former tracks did. However vocally Katy is great, giving us quite a languid performance that features some great use of vocal layering and which brings out the sensuality of the lyrics very nicely. The house beats of the production are also fun in the way that they just keep you moving and never try to go into bland rave territory, making this another sophisticated track in terms of the production.

3.5/5

Track 6- All My Lovin

A quite powerful musical affair that takes a while to kick in, All My Lovin finds the singer telling this person that she is going to give them all her love and take him to a special place. The song lyrically could have done with some work, as Katy relies on some poor clichés and doesn’t make the song feel as emotionally intense as it could be. The vocal is also a bit grainy and feels like the singer is over reaching in some ways, lacking the polished sheen of the previous tracks. Really the production is the songs only saving grace, as producers Geeneus and Joker provide us a with a frenzied array of electro beats that create this wild intensity that is different from the other tracks and which brings a good dose of variety to the record.

2.5/5

Track 7- Tumbling Down

Opening with quirky electro tones that act as this cool base for the song, Tumbling Down finds the singer in a flirtatious mode as she goes for her man and finds herself tumbling down as she falls truly in love. Once again the lyrics are marred by cliché, but not to such an extent as the previous track, whilst the vocal performance is much stronger here as the singer really fits into this sensual role and uses the range of her voice to good effect, with the use of vocal layering once again working well. The bubbly, clicking beats of the production create a nice contrast to the smooth style of the vocals, making for another engaging track that you can sway along to, or which you can just listen to and chill.

3.5/5

Track 8- Everything

Everything finds Katy still in a kind of sensual mode, but here she also shows a bit more emotional depth. The track sees the singer telling this person of how she just wants to be there for them and make their life great. The lyrics are focused and catchy with a nice hook, but Katy definitely makes the song better with her powerful, layered vocal that feels sweet but strong and which just feels invested with true emotion. Production wise the song utilises some house beats and subtle synth notes for a smoky club sound that is slightly 90’s influenced, and which feels like a potential hit single.

4/5

Track 9- Play (featuring Sampha)

Teaming up with electronic singer-songwriter Sampha, Play is another fun dance track with more of a glittery synth texture to the production. What is fun about this track is the way that Katy and Sampha’s vocal’s work really well together and create this fun male female dynamic to the track, making the love based lyrics a bit more potent. Lyrically the song utilises the metaphor of music being like love and passion, as each artist asks the other to play their music and captivate them. The clunky synth beats create a vibrant tone for the song that both elevates the power of the vocals and also adds a cool layer of diversity to the record as a whole, with the song almost having an 80’s feel in its own way.

3.5/5

Track 10- Sapphire Blue

Situated as a moody dance track from the outset, Sapphire Blue finds Katy positioning herself as a woman captivated by this person’s beauty and persona, and she just wants to have this person and kiss them. The song taps into that feeling of catching someone’s eye on the dance floor and losing your inhibitions, whilst the whole message of the track is given gravitas by the singers airy vocal tone and the way that she liltingly sings the song. The clicky beats of the production and the stammering synths provide a simple if not totally engaging sound that doesn’t quite capture the sensuality of the song, but which still makes for a good dance track nonetheless.

3.5/5

Track 11- Emotions

With Emotions Katy once again veers into some lyrical cliché that doesn’t quite capture you in the way the other songs did. However the deepness of the emotion within the track does command your attention, and with a solid chorus and the building up of the vocal and production, this is definitely a strong track. Here we find Katy telling this person of the way they make her feel, and she asks them to feel this emotion with her. The simplicity of the chorus means that it can get stuck in your head quite easily, whilst vocally Katy is on superb form, as she shows both control and power. The softness of the verses really compliment the forceful quality of the chorus, and this vocal style is also nicely elevated by the similar style of the production, which builds from a very subdued style to   some stomping rhythms that elevate the emotional intensity. The song smartly straddles the line of typical balladry and typical club song, making this another track that would work well as a single.

3.5/5

Track 12- Still

Final track Still ends finishes off the record in a sombre state as Katy goes deep with her emotions and asks questions about a former relationship, with this person still being on her mind a lot. The passion of the lyrics is made stronger by the singer’s airy tone that brings out the delicacy of the song beautifully, whilst Katy also sounds like a really powerful vocalist at the same time. Producer’s Geeneus and Fraser T Smith do a great job with the production in giving us a soft but epic dance sound with glittering synths and commanding beats, with the military style of the bridge allowing for the final chorus to have that extra emotional kick.

3.5/5

Final Review

Little Red is definitely an album that has been worth the wait. What is appealing for me about the record is that the singer has had a bit more of a mature makeover and brings more emotional depth to her work, but that doesn’t mean the fun of her debut is completely gone. The dance production is grand with a great mix of synths and breakstep beats, whilst vocally Katy sounds stronger and wiser. The odd cliché sometimes hinders the work, but ultimately Katy gives us lyrical pieces that are catchy and thoughtful at the same time. Little Red is a sophomore album that shows smart dance music at its best, and which definitely shows great artistic improvement from an already stellar artist.

8/10

Best Track- Crying For No Reason

Worst Track- All My Lovin

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