Echoes, Will Young
Rating 4/5
This month marks ten years since he emerged as Pop Idol victor, and Will Young’s fifth studio album is one of his best. It has a decidedly dancey feel – he enlisted producer, Richard X, who’s worked with M.I.A. and Kelis, after all – and the songs are instantly familiar and warm in a way that pop today sometimes isn’t. Hit single Jealousy is nothing short of rousing, and I Just Want A Lover is like a Kylie track but from a man. We hope to be hearing more of Will’s distinct falsetto with a clubby twist.
Dh60 at Virgin Megastores
Love?, Jennifer Lopez
Rating 4/5
J-Lo has a great many hits behind her from the early noughties, and despite gloomy predictions after her four-year musical hiatus, her seventh studio album has drummed up more addictive pop tunes. On The Floor with Pit Bull is a techno pop track with lambada flair; the Taio Cruz-penned I’m Into You featuring Lil Wayne is J-Lo at her I’m Real best, and the euphoric Hypnotico, which Lady Gaga co-wrote, is a true club track. That said, there’s no track that compares with the likes of Waiting For Tonight, and Villain has a repetitive Rebecca ‘It’s Friday’ Black quality.
Dh75 at Virgin Megastores
