In the three years since Rose’s folky debut album, the singer-songwriter has continued her streak as an accomplished backing vocalist, featuring on albums for both Manic Street Preachers and Bombay Bicycle Club. Her new album, however, lacks the texture that her voice adds to the male-led vocals of these bands. Although Work It Out sees Rose develop a poppier sound (the bouncy hooks and catchy melodies of singles Like An Arrow and Our Eyes are unabashedly chart-oriented), the album retains the innocuousness of her folkier days: all the elements of solid indie pop are here, but too often it amounts to a familiar and underwhelming sound.
