Album of the week: Stereophonics - Keep Calm And Carry On ****

Nov 19 2009

Stereophonics - Keep Calm And Carry On ****

The Welsh band's seventh studio album does what the 'Phonics do best - capture the zeitgeist. Keep Calm And Carry On, itself a message from a Second World War poster, is writer and singer Kelly Jones's response to the current times. From the retro rock beat of the opener She's Alright to the memory-lane trips Uppercut and Beerbottle, where the band experiment with a more electro sound, to upbeat love songs like Could You Be The One, the album is a melodic mix of the good old with a new twist. Lead single Innocent is the standout track - a hook-laden storytelling classic.

Will Young - The Hits ***

WHEN he was crowned the winner of the first series of Pop Idol, how many people would have thought Will Young would still be going strong after all this time? Seven years and four hit albums later, he's releasing this Best Of collection, gathering all of his biggest songs in one place just in time for Christmas. The presence of modern pop classic Leave Right Now, ballad All Time Love and upbeat stomper Switch It On means there's something for everyone in this classy package.

Tune-Yards - Bird-Brains ****

CAPTURED on a portable voice recorder and spliced together in basic sound-editing software, Merrill Garbus's debut release as Tune-Yards is the contemporary equivalent of a four-track demo. Besides nailing her anti-corporate colours to the mast, the lo-fi DIY gloss gives the American's songs real intimacy. Her careful post-production gives the arrangements real depth, despite the thin sound of the component parts. On Hatari, she yodels over a wonky funk loop, while Sunlight is something approaching a pop song. Refreshing!

Erin McKeown - Hundreds Of Lons **

HAVING dabbled in lo-fi indie, swing, jazz covers, and throwaway pop, 2009 sees the release of Erin McKeown's eighth album. While there is something engaging about her winsome delivery, there is nothing here that comes close to her 2003 career high Grand. To A Hammer is fun but lightweight, and 28 cannot bear the weight of its five-minute running time.