Pulp. More. Their first album since 2001 is everything you’d expect from Pulp – smart, insightful, and only occasionally so-so. Opener Spike Island manages to be both swaggering and sombre. Inspired by the Stone Roses’ over-mythologised 1990 festival in Widnes, Cheshire, it finds Jarvis Cocker telling us: “I exist to do this – shouting and pointing.” Too modest! He’s done much more, including famously mooning “messianic” Michael Jackson at the Brit Awards in 1996. (‘Jacko’s Pulp Friction!’ and ‘He’s off his Cocker!’, screamed the headlines). The Sheffield band have always been outsiders. Cocker was a John Peel loving teenage punk when he first formed Arabicus Pulp in 1978. Their run of hits between 1994 and 98 saw Pulp roped in with Brit-Pop, but it was never a comfortable fit. Cocker’s songs had a lot more to say.
He took on wealthy folk slumming it in Common People, while Cocaine Socialism satirised New Labour’s bid to ride the Cool Britannia bandwagon. 1995’s Mis-Shapes was an anthem to kids who didn’t fit in. Among the best songs here are Tina, which is orchestrated, up-tempo, and slightly sinister – about a man creepily obsessed with a woman he sees on his daily commute. Grown Ups has the jaunty melancholy of classic Madness with lines like ‘I am not ageing, no, I’m just ripening’; while the most euphoric track, Got To Have Love, is a pulsating slice of Eurovision dance pop. Farmer’s Market is a love song to Jarvis’s new wife Kim which comes with gentle spoken lyrics. Ballads Slow Jam and Partial Eclipse feel a tad underwhelming. But Background Noise, another ballad, packs a mighty chorus. My Sex (not that sexy) channels 70s R&B. Hymn Of The North is an orchestrated reflection on modern Sheffield, its ‘Factories lying empty, manufacturing emptiness’. Honest and unpretentious, free-thinker Cocker was one of the more interesting 90s stars. Good to have him back.
The Doobie Brothers. Walk This Road. The 70s California stars are back with their trademark soulful rock sound intact on their 16th studio album. Gospel legend Mavis Staples guests on the upbeat title track and nifty foot-tapper Angels & Mercy finds them dreaming of redemption with Satan at their door. The ten smooth numbers are musical heaven for fans – especially with singer Michael McDonald back handling most of the vocals.
Cypress Hill. Black Sunday: Live At The Royal Albert Hall. Best known for hits like Insane In The Brain, the US hip hop stars recorded this surprisingly beguiling album with the London Symphony Orchestra. Hard-hitting rap attacks like When The S*** Goes Down become orchestral-funk hybrids. I Ain’t Going Out Like That is beautifully ominous. The 20 tracks include all of 1993’s Black Sunday album and often skate close to sublime.
Morgan Wallen. I’m The Problem. He’s too pop for country purists but rising star Morgan has the knack of writing crossover songs with earworm hooks, like his 2023 smash Last Night. These 37 tracks include the relatable blue-collar patriotism of Don’t We and the folksy I’m A Little Crazy where he reveals he keeps a loaded 44 by his bed – ‘Hope I never have to use it but you never know.’ Better safe than sorry. His last single Superman, written for his son and warning ‘the bottle’s my kryptonite’. It has already topped the US charts.
Little Simz. Lotus. The sixth album from the London hip hop star spans a variety of moods ranging from vulnerability on Lonely And Blue to the menace of Thief via the dark clouds of Flood with its deep bass and accusatory lyrics. Elsewhere Simz diversifies into funk, Latin rhythms, poloshed pop (Hollow) and afrobeat. The ghost of 90s Lily Allen hangs over the cartoon brattishness of Young. With new producer Miles Clinton James, strings and Michaek Kiwanuka guesting on Lotus, the album expands her vision without compromising it.