Album Review: Rudimental - Home

If there's been a better mainstream dancefloor filler released in the past 12 months than Feel The Love by Rudimental, it's hard to find. Frenetic beats, the soulful voice of John Newman, and a trumpet solo that makes Midnight City's saxophone sound like a kazoo all combine to create an undeniable anthem.

The challenge for the quartet was always going to be translating the single's success into a debut album. And in Home, they've done an okay job. Feel The Love is still the standout, but the rest of the album's highlights are actually slower jams, drawing on a dub vibe rather than the frantic speed Rudimental have previously been known for. Hell Could Freeze is the perfect example of the two directions on the one track, guest Angel Haze's raps juxtaposing her bluesy chorus. Spoons is uninspiring and muddled, lacking everything that Not Giving In has, the latter once again featuring Newman and a juicy horn section. Hide and closer Free are chilled out numbers that prove Rudimental have a solid base to build from, and it wouldn't be surprising to see a future album veer down this more relaxed, xx-inspired path. From what they show on Home, there's definitely potential for it to be a successful avenue.

Overall, though, Home is just too hit-and-miss. For every moment of brilliance displayed on the album there seems to be an exact counterpoint. The liner notes are a bit iffy, too; quality photos of the band are pitted against cheesy thank you lines like “everyone with a positive outlook on life”. The potential is there, it's just not delivered well enough, often enough.