American singer-songwriter Christina Perri’s 2011 debut album, Lovestrong, made the UK top 10 on the back of near-million-selling single Jar of Hearts.
The follow-up finds her deviating little from the template, her four big-name producers crafting an album heavy on big, earnest ballads that — with the exception of the soaring Sea of Lovers — are more technically proficient than engaging. Elsewhere, the instantly memorable Burning Gold deserves to be a set text for restless pyromaniacs, although the Ed Sheeran duet Be My Forever outstays its welcome as soon as it blunders into reheated Hall & Oates territory.
