
Rudimental – Home
Positives
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Full Review
“Spoons” moves the album into more traditional house and drum and bass territory, opening with a slow-building beat reminiscent of Underworld that wouldn’t sound out of place on a 90’s dance floor. It remains intense throughout, with the vocals balancing perfectly on steady, pulsing rhythm. “Hide” slows things down with a classic garage feel and the warm voice of Sinead Harnett as she berates a lover for causing her pain. Another single, “Powerless”, brings the drum and bass back in with R&B vocals by Becky Hill keeping things fairly mellow, if not hugely memorable. Emili Sandé showcases her considerable talents next on “More Than Anything”, creating a fusion of drum and bass and soulful R&B.
John Newman returns with Alex Clare for “Not Giving In”. Newman once again adds his distinctive voice to a thumping, exuberant floor filler. It lacks the sunny charm of “Feel The Love”, but has a confident edge that makes it enjoyable nonetheless, and vocally Clare complements Newman well. “Baby” makes use of Sinead Harnett again, along with “Spoons” collaborator MNEK. An R&B melody sails over house beats, ensuring this song will keep dance floors packed for its duration. “Waiting All Night” is a poppy, pounding dance gem featuring the talented Ella Eyre. This song also reached No.1 as a single, and it’s easy to see why: instantly addictive, you will be singing it all day. Finally, Emili Sandé returns to round things off. “Free” is driven by drums and strings, and Sandé’s vocals move warmly over an upbeat rhythm. This track makes for a celebratory, occasionally philosophical, ending to the album and will put a smile on your face.
This album likes to keep things varied, cresting the waves of house and drum and bass to land smoothly in R&B territory when you least expect it. It suffers somewhat from the lack of a coherent style throughout, but compensates admirably with exciting beats. Some tracks are more forgettable than others, but overall Rudimental’s first studio release is an enjoyable piece of work. If you are looking for an album full of single potential that will get a party up and running, download “Home”. For a reflective or emotional listening experience, you’d best look elsewhere.
Album Singles
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