One Man and His Shoes review - beautifully crafted, fast-paced documentary

★★★★ ONE MAN AND HIS SHOES Beautifully crafted, fast-paced documentary

A fascinating slice of black cultural history as well as a story about shoes

“Black people, since the beginning of time, have always made things cool. Jazz, rock ’n’ roll… pick anything from a cultural standpoint and we have always been the arbitrators of cool,” says sports journalist Jamele Hill. “And it was really no different with sneakers.”

London Symphony Orchestra, Hasan, LSO St Luke's review - dances great and small

★★★ LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, HASAN, LSO ST LUKE'S Miniature Strauss followed by a big orchestra for works by Hannah Kendall and Bartók

Miniature Strauss followed by a big orchestra for works by Hannah Kendall and Bartók

Big orchestras to serve the late romantic masterpieces and contemporary blockbusters still aren’t the order of the Covid-era day, even in streamed events, at least not in the UK. The London Symphony Orchestra is so far unique in bigging up the strings as well as bringing on the full brass and percussion thanks to the unique nature of what was previously its rehearsal space and venue for chamber concerts, LSO St Luke’s.

Miss Juneteenth review - a ray of Texan sunshine

★★★★ MISS JUNETEENTH Directorial debut offers a ray of Texan sunshine

Debuting director Channing Godfrey Peoples brings some heart to pageantry

Beauty queen pageants have long been ripe for parody, from their plastic glamour to the Machiavellian competitiveness. Miss Juneteenth opts for a much more nuanced approach, using the pageant as a focal point for a mother and daughter navigating their difficult present and possible future. It’s a universal story of familial love, told and performed with deftness and real personality.

Album: Alicia Keys - Alicia

★★★★ ALICIA KEYS - ALICIA A confident return from the megastar polymath, but does it hint at something more?

A confident return from the megastar polymath, but does it hint at something more?

Alicia Keys is a puzzling mixture. On the one hand she’s the hyper-achieving, multi-platinum, 752-Grammy-winning America’s sweetheart, all dimply smiles, positive-thinking ultra sincerity and the kind of showbiz over-emoting and singing-technique-as-competitive-sport so beloved of talent show contestants. On the other, she’s an undeniably interesting artist on multiple levels.

Rocks review - impressively well-crafted neo-realist drama

★★★★★ ROCKS Impressively well-crafted neo-realist drama

Sarah Gavron and Theresa Ikoko’s collaboration pays off in this lovingly observed tale

Rocks is a beautifully made slice of neo-realist filmmaking which deserves to get a wide audience but may well slip off the radar in the current climate. It really should be experienced in a cinema as the camerawork by Hélène Louvart is stunning and the sound design is excellent.

Kaleidoscope Collective, Wigmore Hall online – playing with panache, as if to a live audience

★★★★★ KALEIDOSCOPE COLLECTIVE, WIGMORE HALL An hour of sheer pleasure

A blazing masterpiece and a personality-filled rarity provide an hour of sheer pleasure

If it all comes across as vividly as this on screen, imagine what it would have been like to witness in person. Which quite a few of us very nearly did, until we had to be disinvited owing to changed government guidelines.

Project Power - so-so attempt to reinvent the superhero genre

★★★ PROJECT POWER So-so attempt to reinvent the superhero genre

Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt star alongside Dominique Fishback in fun thriller set in New Orleans

What if there was a pill you could pop that gave you superpowers? The only catch is that, while it might make you invisible or bullet-proof, it might also boil your brain or make you explode with just one hit.

Album: Burna Boy - Twice as Tall

★★★★ BURNA BOY - TWICE AS TALL Afro-fusion megastar consolidates his position

The Afro-fusion megastar consolidates his position with style

There’ve been plenty of global breakout successes from Nigeria in the past decade; D’banj, Davido, Wizkid and more – but by far the most recognisable to the international audience is Damini Ogulu aka Burna Boy. And doesn’t he know it.