101 / 121
23
REVIEWS
MUSIC
Bruno Mars
24K Magic
Can I preach? Can I preach? Bruno
Mars is back and bringing the
Uptown Funk
on his latest,
24K
Magic
(yeah, it’s pronounced "24
karat"). Those hooligans who have
been hanging for some classic
Bruno since his last release back in
2012 (
Unorthodox Jukebox
) won’t
be disappointed, as his latest disc
is sending shivers down our spines
the same way
When I Was Your
Man
did.
Too Good To Say Goodbye
has some
Locked Out Of Heaven
vibes reverberating off the chorus,
and title track
24K Magic
is a classic
Bruno single, from the ‘pop pop’
balladry to the private jet in the
film clip. You’ll wind up a hopeless
romantic even if you didn’t think you
had it in you. #blessed
(Warner) Alesha Kolbe
Robbie Williams
Heavy Entertainment Show
After hearing television labelled
as ‘light entertainment’, Robbie
Williams refused to accept the
medium’s force as mere innocent
throwaway, and instead hit back
with his counter-term ‘heavy
entertainment’. Due to each song
style being so strikingly different,
the album plays along much like
someone channel surfing. Look at
David’s Song
being a
Days Of Our
Lives
ballad,
Heavy Entertainment
Show
the signature, theatrical
Glee
track, and a little bit of
That
‘70s Show
comedy in
Motherf-
cker
. Sans the misshapen way it’s
presented, there are some riveting
standouts and Williams hasn’t lost
his cheeky ways – he just needs a
new aerial for a better connection,
is all.
(Sony) Savannah Douglas
Alicia Keys
Here
It’s been a long four years since
Girl On Fire
, but Alicia Keys
returns with an album as beautiful
and bare as its cover art. Finally
bringing back the hungry passion
that had seemingly left her in
recent releases, Keys delivers a
deeply personal and political record
full of pure class. The vast range of
topics discussed is breathtaking;
you couldn’t imagine songs about
lack of environmental care (
Kill
Your Mama
), family complexity
after re-marriage (
Blended Family
(What You Do For Love)
) and unfair
beauty standards (
Girl Can’t Be
Herself
) could merge so well, and
yet they do, while each one proves
strong enough to stand alone as a
single. This new, emotionally gritty
attitude proves that Keys is once
again… on fire.
(Sony) Savannah Douglas
Illy
Two Degrees
Illy speaks volumes to those from
the outer south eastern suburbs
– those of us that grew up on
the Pakenham/Frankston lines,
checking out the sand sculptures
and fighting for the best spots on
the beach, year in, year out. One of
those ‘triple j artists’ lucky enough
to permeate the mainstream radio
waves, Illy's latest release
Two
Degrees
showcases his talent for
making truth catchy. Take
Papercuts
,
a commentary on a broken
relationship that both participants
are too comfortable in to leave; or
Hazard To Myself
featuring Sir the
Baptist, which anyone who’s cured
a long day with a bit of a bev or six
can relate to.
Two Degrees
is a hip
hop venture with bright allusions to
Illy’s future as an artist – any more
collabs with Anne-Marie and I might
just lose my mind.
(Warner) Alesha Kolbe
KATE BUSH LIVE ALBUM
BEFORE THE DAWN
OUT NOW ON 3 CD, 4 LP & DOWNLOAD
INCLUDES 24 PAGE BOOKLET