CD: Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated

The Canadian global cult pop star lets her songs breathe

Carly Rae Jepsen is a brilliant pop star. Her music pure and unashamed radio pop, full of the excitement of living and loving, but her status with her audience and relationship with them are a bit more like what you'd expect from a cult indie act. As Canadian Idol runner up through her earnest singer-songwriter debut album she was charming enough.

theartsdesk on Vinyl 49 - Part 1: Keith Richards, Asian Dub Foundation, Popul Vuh, Nirvana, Cage the Elephant and more

THE ARTS DESK ON VINYL 49 Keith Richards, Asian Dub Foundation, Popul Vuh, Nirvana & more

The largest, most wide-ranging monthly record reviews on the planet

Due to exciting matters beyond theartsdesk on Vinyl’s control there’s been a slight delay to this month’s edition but, never fear, to ensure we cover all that’s juicy, we’re doing a special two-volume version, with Part 2 coming next week. Watch this space.

CD: L’Impératrice - Matahari

Crafted Gallic disco-pop debut that emanates sleek summery allure

The French have developed an international reputation for a certain smooth style of electronic music. It’s the place where disco and house collide with something more urbane and far less sweaty. Daft Punk provided a defining moment with their 2013 album Random Access Memories, but the sound referred to is touched upon all the way from the louche downtempo of Air to more recent yacht rock sumptuousness from Papooz.

CD: Chaka Khan - Hello Happiness

★★★ CHAKA KHAN - HELLO HAPPINESS The Queen of Funk gets down with her latest comeback

The Queen of Funk gets down with her latest comeback

Chaka Khan’s last album, 2007’s Funk This was billed as the Queen of Funk’s comeback after her 80s and 90s purple patch. But after its release, apart from the odd cameo vocal on other people’s tracks, she stepped back out of the spotlight and retreated back into relative obscurity.

Best Albums of 2018

THE ★★★★★ ALBUMS OF 2018 SO FAR You need to hear these

theartsdesk's music critics pick their favourites of the year so far

Disc of the Day reviews new albums, week in, week out, all year. Below are the albums to which our writers awarded five stars. Click on any one of them to find out why.

 

Baxter Dury, Etienne de Crécy and Delilah Holliday - B.E.D. ★★★★★ A small but perfectly sleazy work of sweary, cynical brilliance

CD: Nile Rodgers & Chic - It's About Time

Very daytime Radio 1 but the disco kingpin's comeback album has just enough pizzazz to stand up

Nile Rodgers is a pop juggernaut, up there with the very biggest. Aside from Chic's disco monsters “Good Times” and “Le Freak”, he’s also responsible for Sister Sledge’s career (“We Are Family”),  “Let’s Dance” by Bowie, Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”, Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”, Diana Ross’s “Upside Down”, and too many other hits to mention. Since 2011 he’s endlessly played the festival circuit, a euphoric show reminding us of his legacy. He has not, however, resurrected Chic in the studio until now.

Jake Shears, Concorde 2, Brighton review - a blitz of glitz

★★★ JAKE SHEARS, CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON A blitz of glitz

The Scissor Sisters frontman makes Brighton feel like dancin'

One of the biggest crowd roars of the night comes right at the start when Jake Shears runs onstage. He is wearing a grey top hat, a white tail-jacket with glittered lapel-edging, silver glittery trousers, a tight black sequinned vest top, and a bow tie on his bare neck. The 600 capacity Concorde 2, right on Brighton's seafront, is sold out.

CD: Gorillaz - The Now Now

★★★★ GORILLAZ - THE NOW NOW Damon Albarn moves front and centre in a surprisingly upbeat record

Damon Albarn moves front and centre in a surprisingly upbeat record

It’s hard to know who to write about when reviewing a new Gorillaz release. According to the official line, the band have shorn their usual guests to focus on the core creative team: vocalist 2D, drummer Russell, guitarist Noodle, and new bassist Ace, borrowed from The Powerpuff Girls.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: 'Ideally I'm recording all the time, 24 hours a day' - interview

RYUICHI SAKAMOTO INTERVIEW From Xenakis to Oneohtrix Point Never via Bowie and Bootsy

From Xenakis to Oneohtrix Point Never via Bowie and Bootsy, Sakamoto recalls an extraordinary life in music

Ryuichi Sakamoto has conquered underground and mainstream with seeming ease over four decades, never dropping off in the quality of his releases. Indeed his most recent projects, following his return to public life after treatment for throat cancer in 2014-15, are among his best.