Initially sold as the Spice Girls’ sassier rivals, All Saints quickly proved to have far greater depth, distinguished as they were by Shaznay Lewis’s superior songwriting chops. Intra-band squabbles over a combat jacket might have cut short the party in 2001, and their first comeback, in 2006, was underwhelming. But their third coming, starting with 2016’s Red Flag and now continuing with Testament, finds them going some way to recapturing past glories.
It helps that Lewis is working with songwriting partner Karl “K-Gee” Gordon again, but it all starts with a misstep: the spoken-word intro to opener Who Do You Love is too clumsy a nod to the pop majesty of Never Ever. Thankfully, this is the only time they slip into self-parody. Three Four is all rolling momentum and dovetailing harmonies; recent single Love Lasts Forever displays a deliciously light touch; After All, one of two collaborations with producer William Orbit, recalls his work on Pure Shores; Glorious shares a martial beat with Little Mix’s Salute (although, sadly, none of the latter’s brilliantly deranged military analogies). It’s let down by a few too many unremarkable ballads (Fumes, I Would), but that doesn’t detract from the fact that Testament shows this comeback is more than simply an exercise in nostalgia.
