Music reviews

Kesha – Rainbow:Probably one of the most anticipated releases of the year, Kesha’s album Rainbow does not disappoint. It’s her first solo music released since being entangled in a legal battle with former music producer Dr Luke, and the message is very clear: Kesha is back and, in my opinion, she’s produced an album packed with her best work yet. A few tunes, like Woman and Learn To Let Go have already been released. But there are gems galore like the title track, Rainbow, which you can bet you’ll see topping singles charts. The lyrics to a lot of the songs scream raw honesty and you really get the sense this is a new Kesha we’re meeting through her music. She definitely doesn’t hold back and there is no shortage of swearing to pack an extra lyrical punch. Kerri-Ann Roper

Paul Draper –Spooky Action: Fourteen years after Mansun went up in flames, former lead singer and voice of a generation Paul Draper returns with his debut solo album Spooky Action. After making his name with the iconic band, Draper’s vocals have never left the airwaves. But can he beat his own path? Spooky Action has a dark line of pop running all the way through it like the lettering in a stick of rock. Don’t Poke the Bear is a spaced-out psychedelic introduction, as Draper’s rich tones layer over a tangle of guitars. This a little jarring as it’s the sound of Mansun – with a new, even more experimental direction. Grey House’s opening melody is reminiscent of I Can Only Disappoint You, with a dirtier edge. Feeling My Heart Run Slow, first performed live in 2014, feels like he has come home. Rachel Howdle

Martine McCutcheon – Lost and Found: Martine McCutcheon is back after a 17-year musical break with Lost And Found, an unapologetic pop piece that reminds you that yes, she really can sing and that she’s more than just Tiffany from EastEnders and Hugh Grant’s feisty love interest in Love Actually. McCutcheon takes you on a comfortably familiar journey with her ballad-heavy record, her musical style and vocals straight out of the late 1990s – fixed in time, but pleasingly so. It’s pretty clear this is not a collection aimed at the younger generation, but McCutcheon provides a welcome break from the current charts fodder of heavily-produced tracks. The album gets a bit saccharine a few songs in, but a pared-back and haunting cover of Every Breath You Take shows the power of simplicity, too rare in 2017. Lucy Mapstone

Elvis Presley – The 50 Greatest Hits: It has been nearly 40 years since the death of Elvis Presley, but there is a reason his most famous tracks are still dug out for every Christmas party, karaoke night and road trip. Marking the anniversary, this 50-track compilation guarantees a wave of nostalgia and will certainly have listeners singing along to the best-known hits, including classics Jailhouse Rock, Return To Sender and Suspicious Minds. For the ultimate fan, there is little on offer in the way of early career hits and his many movie tracks. This album is definitely an ode to Elvis the rocker, rather than the crooner, country and gospel singer – but if the aim is to recruit new fans, or to just get everybody involved in a car singalong, this record is an absolute essential. Francesca Gosling

Dove – In Damascus/Piano Quintet:Jonathan Dove whose opera, Pinocchio, was premièred by Opera North, turned his attention last year to life in Syria, his new work, In Damascus, a setting of words by Ali Safar on the plight of young children. Scored for tenor – the excellent Mark Padmore – and string quartet, it is of cutting-edge modernity, at times reminiscent of Steve Reich’s minimalism, and 
often intentionally brutal in its pounding rhythms. More American inspired minimalism in the Piano Quintet and in the six sections of Out of Time for string quartet, both played with a deep conviction by the young Sacconi Quartet (also featured in the Classical Preview on page 7) who are joined by the pianist, Charles Owen. A Signum release in clinically clean sound. David Denton