Album Review: Katy B - Little Red

Time to get those hoop earrings swinging once more. Three years since going On A Mission, Kathleen Brian, aka Katy B, is back with a little more of everything. The beats have stepped up, guest turns by Jessie Ware and Sampha are welcome – it's a solid sophomore offering.

While the club bangers on Little Red offer nothing but euphoria, the few ballads tossed in miss the mark completely. Crying For No Reason is the first hint at the chink in Katy B's armour, the track sounding like a bleating B-side pulled off any studio floor. Closer Still is pretty lukewarm as well, though the production ping gets it over the line. Yeah, yeah, variety is the spice of a record or whatever, but little B's voice just gets too warbly to make these excursions affecting. It's when she's working the London club sound – all polished post-dubstep, moody house and prickly electro undercurrents – that she's in her element, her confident delivery and humbling range giving Little Red a strut that's walking straight for the dancefloor.

The deluxe edition of this record is fairly bloated, but there's some genuine gold, namely Blue Eyes, which shows that the 24-year-old Londoner isn't afraid of a little journey. This isn't Dark Side Of The Moon shit by any stretch, but the track's ins and outs, highlighted by a sweet late tempo change, show that Brian is pushing herself while staying true to her strengths, a tough balance for anyone.