New Album Reviews, March 2014 - Eliza Doolittle, Little Mix, Gary Barlow, and Matt Cardle

Eliza Doolittle - In Your Hands
This is the perfect example of an effective sophomore album, seamlessly building upon the strengths of Eliza's debut while delving much further into her possibilities as an artist.  The sweetly honest and plucky attitude is still on display, especially on the effervescent "Let it Rain," the flight of fancy "Walking on Water," and the winking wordplay of "Backpacking."  But there's also a powerfully sassy side at work in kiss-offs like "Hush" and the especially excellent "Checkmate."  An impressive smolder comes along with "No Man Can" and the gorgeous title track "In Your Hands."  I love albums that have a song for every occasion and emotional beat.  This one has multiple songs for every occasion and all of them are great!  Some are, admittedly, and due to the long-play nature of the record, better than others, and matters taper off a bit towards the end.  Still, with stunning vocals and brassy, irrepressibly spirited attitude to spare, Eliza has redefined herself as one of the best pop artists currently out there.

Best tracks: "Let it Rain," "Walking on Water," "In Your Hands," "Checkmate"

10 pink flowers out of ten.



Little Mix - SaluteBeautiful harmonies and a flawlessly cohesive sense of sisterhood and girl power characterize the second album by cutie-pie U.K. girl group Little Mix.  As with their first album DNA, the upbeat bubblegum tracks are far better, with one notable exception, than the ballads.  For some reason, the girls have a tendency to go over a bit maudlin and melodramatic in their slow songs, rendering "These Four Walls" and "Good Enough" two of the lesser entries on Salute.  However, much progress in this area is finally shown with the stunning "Towers," the girls' best ballad since the lovely "Cannonball."  With its pretty melody and had-enough attitude, "Towers" stands above the rest of the album in a title-appropriate manner.

Elsewhere, the quick-witted intro "Salute" and closing number "A Different Beat" deftly solidify Little Mix's mission statement of girl solidarity and independence - it's a mixed up world, to paraphrase Sophie Ellis-Bextor's classic, but these are real tough girls.  The sweetly contemplative "Little Me" is an utterly adorable mid-tempo number that continues in the vein of celebrating self-actualization.  "Nothing Feels Like You," "About the Boy," and "Mr. Loverboy" find Little Mix in welcome territory: pure, irresistible bubble-gum pop at its best.Best tracks: "Towers," "Little Me," "About the Boy," "Nothing Feels Like You"9 pink flowers out of ten

Gary Barlow - Since I Saw You LastIt's been so many years since Gary Barlow's last solo album that he's quite different as an artist due to the exponential growth he has gone through in the interim.  From a slightly disoriented former lead singer of Take That struggling to find his own musical identity as his penchant for writing gorgeous, classy pop tracks ran up against some misguided guidance from label suits, Gary has since reemerged first as the captain of the revitalized and massively successful Take That, then in a trial-by-fire reunion with former rival Robbie Williams that yielded wonderful results, and finally now as a fiercely self-actualized artist in his own right.  It's interesting, yet oddly intrinsic to the nature of his overall evolution as an artist that it took Gary this long to produce a fully realized solo album, but it's well worth the wait."Requiem" kicks things off with a darkly coy, yet hopeful ode to death and the nature of remembrance nicely cloaked in a peppy, Beatles-esque sound.  Hit single "Let Me Go" shows another side of the same theme we saw in the song he cowrote with and for Matt Cardle, "Run for Your Life": while "Run" focused on the painfully redemptive power of giving someone their freedom back, "Let Me Go" similarly looks at such a scenario, in a bit of a sunnier light."Jump" is classic Barlow balladry at its inspirational best, while the Elton John duet "Face to Face" is a jolt of pure happiness.  After pondering religion in "God" and facing the mysterious power of "Small Town Girls," it's back to ballad town for my favorite track here, the thoroughly engrossing, romantic, and moving "6th Avenue."  "Since I Saw You Last" strikes an absolutely fascinating balance between finding peace in dignity and perseverance, while dealing with the residual discomfort of remembering the unsympathetic behavior of others when one was at the lowest personal ebb.Deep pondering of the meaning of life comprises most of the remaining tracks, and with titles such as "We Like to Love" and "More than Life," Gary definitely doesn't skimp on his powerful explorations of the essence of humanity.  Like everything on offer here, it's proof of his continuing proliferation of talent and wisdom.Best tracks: "6th Avenue," "Since I Saw You Last," "Face to Face," "Let Me Go"Ten pink flowers out of ten.

Matt Cardle - PorcelainOnce again, Matt Cardle emerges to explore romantic angst in all of its many angles and complexities with a flair for eloquent pop expression, gorgeous vocals, and frankly just being sexy reconfirming his continued growth as an artist.  All three of his albums have been terrific, and this is the best one yet."In Chains" finds Cardle back in his frequently-inhabited wheelhouse of entrapped love (see also, "The Fire," "When We Collide," and "Hanging from Your Heartstrings," just to mention a few of his also-amazing songs on this topic).  The soaring and desperate vocal in the bridge is purely excellent. Similarly, his conflicted duet with Melanie C reveals an inability to communicate and connect with his love, a theme that continues to personify the album.  "Loving You" also finds Matt and Mel C collaborating in a pitch perfect manner, revealing plenty of vocal chemistry that makes the track sparkle.  "When You Were My Girl" and "A Little Too Late" are aptly bitter break-up odes, whilst "Not Over You" is a stunningly stripped-down piano ballad with the most beautiful vocal on offer here.  On the flip side of the coin, "Hit My Heart," "Mouth to Mouth," and "Your Kind of Love" explore the seductively intoxicating qualities of love.  "This Trouble is Ours" blends a welcomingly simple acoustic guitar with a powerful examination of yet more angst (it just never, never gets old).  And the lovely "Porcelain" turns its eye to the sweetness of personal affirmation and redemption.Best tracks: "I'm Not Over You," "This Trouble is Ours," "Hit My Heart," "Loving You."
Ten pink flowers out of ten.