Album Review: The Knocks - 55

New York producers Ben Ruttner and James Patterson's debut record lands them halfway between the gutter and the stars.

While its production is slick enough to oil your unnecessarily large motor vehicle and there's more star power here than in the night sky itself, the somewhat inexplicably titled 55 simply fails to capture the essence of what makes pop music truly great: the universal qualities of heart and soul. Or at least mildly convincing representations of these ideas, which remain absent from the album despite the high profile features from guests like Fetty Wap, Wyclef Jean, and Carly Rae Jepsen. It'll probably soundtrack your next shopping experience, but it's not relevant beyond the supermarket doors.