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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