JLS: Evolution – album review…
The release of the latest JLS album Evolution is being hailed as a new era for the boys…
Four years on from finishing as runners-up on The X Factor – Marvin, JB, Aston and Oritse have six million record sales under their belts and are the only act from the show to have had five number one singles.
But what does this new era bring?
Most people will be familiar with the first single from Evolution, Hottest Girl In The World – a slick r&b track with more than a hint of Justin Timberlake/latter days ‘N Sync about it.
This is a common theme throughout the album, which opens with the Another Level sampling Dessert, making good use of the “let me lick you up and down lyric” from Freak Me, something I previously thought never likely to happen.
Hold Me Down is a potential single, if only for the big dollop of Emeli Sande type inspiration the song delivers.
Watch JLS perform an acoustic version of Hold Me Down:
Fans of JLS’ previous more dance based hits like She Makes Me Wanna and Eyes Wide Shut should head straight for All The Way.
The song heads into Chris Brown/Ne-yo territory with plenty of vocoder action along the way.
Troublemaker would have ideally featured Nicki Minaj but instead showcases the vocal talents of rising Chicago based vocalist Bebe O’Hare and still delivers.
Evolution is rounded off with the Boyz-II-Men style ballad Gotta Try It, the perfect lighters in the air moment to bring the album to a close.
Overall, Evolution stands up well as an album. It is a collection of songs which sound as though they have been hand-picked and all belong on a record together.
As for it ushering in a new era for JLS, it seem curious that almost every track is a well executed throwback to a sound gone by. Having said that, it is convincing and by that I mean that it sounds like JLS making the sort of music they want to make.
Evolution will no doubt please existing fans and the evolution in the JLS sound serves as the perfect opportunity for the boys to attract a new audience.
JLS release Evolution on November 5.
