La Roux - Trouble In Paradise
After a hiatus of five years (which is far too long to have to wait for new La Roux material) the flame-haired songstress Elly Jackson returns solo with a new album, the rather aptly named
Trouble in Paradise. It is natural to wonder if she is cut out to continue as a musician by herself, but with this album she certainly gains a confident foothold in the industry as a solo act.
Trouble in Paradise differs from her debut
La Roux primarily by focusing less on 80's electropop and more on late 70's-early 80's disco. To some this may be seen as a crafty move to jump on the disco bandwagon that has emerged in the pop music scene lately (pioneered by Daft Punk with
Get Lucky). However,
Trouble is an album with it's own style, a confident expression of Elly's musical tastes rather than a quick attempt to gain a Top 10 hit.
Every song is a throwback to the music scene thirty/forty years ago, with lead single
Uptight Downtown clearly evoking David Bowie's
Let's Dance, and
Silent Partner resembling Madonna's vintage hits
Burning Up and
Material Girl. Yet these nine tracks have a modern edge to them, sounding crisp and fresh with quality production and topped with Elly's clear and distinct vocal style.
Highlights on the album include the cheeky
Sexotheque, where Elly sings about a wayward husband's explicit activities over a funky beat, the Caribbean-influenced
Tropical Chancer, and promo single
Let Me Down Gently. The latter track showcases La Roux's ability to create anthems by repeating phrases over a rising bass and then dropping into a powerful electropop beat.
Fans looking for another
Bulletproof won't find it here, as this album purposefully focuses more on grooves and bass rather than the pure pop melodies featured on the debut. This may leave people disappointed with La Roux's second offering, but what
Trouble in Paradise does give is a fantastic assortment of tracks perfectly designed for a tropical summer. Perhaps it would have benefited from more harmonies and louder vocals, however, with Elly's intention to focus on a warmer, funkier sound,
Trouble in Paradise is a success.
Rating: 8/10
Am I too late?
And it's not being dragged as much as Sia's album. (Yet).
. I was actually pleasantly surprised. 
