All Saints/ TESTAMENT
'My Mother once said to me. There are two kinds of men you'll meet. The first will give you the life you want. And the second will give you the love you desire. If one of the lucky few you will find both in the one person. But if you ever find having to choose between the two. Then always choose love," begins the spoken-word intro of Who Do You Love, an opening track of All Saints' latest studio offering, Testament. Instantaneously, this, along with lead single Love Lasts Forever, clue us in on the record's overall theme of love and all the pretty and ugly that come with it.
A follow-up to 2016's comeback album Red Flag, Testament finds Shaznay Lewis, Melanie Blatt and sisters Natalie and Nicole Appleton reconnecting with Karl "K-Gee" Gordon and envelope-pushing producer William Orbit, the brain behind Madonna's landmark Ray of Light as well as All Saints' own chat-toppers Pure Shores and Black Coffee back in 2000. Like its predecessor, this album is pretty dense by today's standard -- clocking in at 47 minutes with a total of 13 tracks on offer (two of which are acappella interludes).
As suggested above, love and its many different facets underpin the record. On the piano-driven, mid-tempo opener, the foursome are faced with doubts and insecurities ("Who do you love? Why can't I be all you need? Will I be the one you leave? Who do you love? Why can't I just make you see? I wanna know if it's gonna be me Who do you love?"). The stirring Love Lasts Forever, on the other hand, is all about unconditional love between mother and son ("I'm behind to catch your fall/ Take this time to get things wrong/ We'll be fine, you'll be great/ I don't mind, I can wait").
Then we have inspiring self-love anthems (I, Glorious) and an ode to nostalgic love on the trippy Orbit-produced After All. The song's atmospheric electronica backdrop pleasantly recaptures the spirit of the era where Orbit's ethereal production was the hallmark of cutting-edge pop sound. But it's not All Saints, if there's no sass to be had, is it? That's where tracks like Three Four and No Issues come in, dripping with sexual innuendos and the group's effortless coolness.
Is Testament a testament to All Saints' enduring pop career? Absolutely. Does it offer something new to the table? Not quite. At close to an hour, it often feels overstretched, especially with fillers that take the form of generic ballads (I Would, Fumes). While it sounds exciting on paper, their reunion with William Orbit doesn't quite pan out in reality. Don't get us wrong, his sonic touch is still impressive (After All is easily the album's standout), but at the same time it doesn't take the album anywhere near magical, just another walk down memory lane.
THE PLAYLIST
D Gerrard (Feat. Jennifer Kim)/ Glua Fan
The X Factor Thailand alum D Gerrard reunites with one of the show's judges Jennifer Kim on his latest offering, Glua Fan [Afraid of bae]. The track starts off with Thai-style ad libs and piano keys before the two vocalists chime in with their duet. The sound of ranat (Thai xylophone) merge with tropical house beats, creating the sonic backbone upon which D Gerrard lays his flow. The highlight, though, is the mid-track breakdown of Thai drums, Kim's harmonizing and Gerrard's rapping. This is a kind of genre-blurring fusion we can get behind.
The Whitest Crow/ Mai Pen Rai
Mai Pen Rai [It's alright] marks the third Thai-language single from homespun alt-rockers The Whitest Crow. Taking their cue from Madchester pioneers like Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses, the Thai quartet scale back on their usual propensity for ominous shoegaze and embrace the more groove-laden, neo-psychedelia production that encapsulates the UK baggy sound. "The morning sun on a new day… I'll be your land, a stretch of water for you to fall in/ Leave behind all your despair/ Start over," sings frontman Patiphan "Tritle" Suwannasingha in what could arguably be their most life-affirming chorus to date.
Alec Benjamin/ If We Have Each Other
Up-and-coming singer-songwriter Alec Benjamin has previously impressed us earlier this year with Let Me Down Slowly and now he's back with another earworm If We Have Each Other. Set to an acoustic guitar backdrop, the track finds him singing through the perspective of a struggling young mother ("The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad/ If we got each other, and that's all we have/ I will be your mother, and I'll hold your hand"). If you're a fan of Ed Sheeran, especially his Plus-era, this should go down a treat.
Mr Twin Sister/ Echo Arms
It's always a delight every time Long Island avant-poppers Mr Twin Sister drop a new cut. After we were treated to the slinky dance-pop number Jaipur, Echo Arms take things to the edge of disco where laidback, funky grooves reign supreme. "Echo arms round me," chants singer Andrea Estella in her breathy voice, flirting with sumptuous synths and underpinning bass and guitars. Another solid release from the group, but whether this and Jaipur will herald the group's upcoming fourth album yet remains to be seen.
Blood Orange/ Charcoal Baby
It's been a while since we last heard from Devonté Hynes, aka Blood Orange, but now he's back with new music ahead of the release of Negro Swan, a follow-up to 2016's Freetown Sound. Lead single Charcoal Baby features a monologue by transgender rights activist Janet Mock as Hynes sings about his own personal struggle with loneliness and what he terms "black depression" ("No one wants to be the odd one out at times/ No one wants to be the negro swan/ Can you break sometimes?").
