New Albums by Niall Horan and Lizzo Reviewed
Daily Star's music guru preps a cheese board for Niall Horan's laidback offering Dinner Party, and enjoys Lizzo saluting her haters after a tough couple of years.
Niall Horan – Dinner Party
Niall Horan sounds like he’s hitting his stride, having quietly carved out an arena-sized following with his mellow solo tunes. His latest LP, Dinner Party, is supremely laidback. Taste So Good To Me introduces you to his sunny, jangly aura, with a little more appreciation for guitar detail. The loved-up title track is more light and fluffy, perhaps a little too background dinner party music, but perfect for cheese boards.
More appealing is the summery Monochromatic alongside unusually perky highlight, Boys Are Fun – a party tune which veers into Kool & The Gang territory before settling on a Gallic Phoenix vibe. The ballads are very strong too, Better Man one of those acoustic purity moments in the style of Damien Rice, while End Of An Era subtly pays homage to his late pal Liam Payne and a time “so fast that I couldn't tell you goodbye”. It’s celebratory rather than too melancholic, destined to bring happy tears to the cheeks of 1D fans.
DAILY STAR Rating ***
Lizzo – Bitch
The backlash against Lizzo felt pretty extreme, but she’s not bitter, sounding more serene on Bitch. Take Toast, an old-fashioned musical overture which strips down to just voice and a sweet salute for all the haters. For the title track she interpolates Meredith Brooks’ classic song of the same name, transforming the word Bitch into a message of self-love. However, what’s most refreshing is the tone of Lizzo’s voice, which focuses less on the raw power of old. Instead she taps into its delicate nuances over vintage Detroit grooves like Happy 2 Be, and it also works wonders on defiant closer Good Morning where she hollers “time to wake your ass up”.
Along the way there’s some fabulous throwbacks, none finer than Don’t Make Me Love U which oozes early 90s Tina Turner attitude and the killer electro rap pop banger That Grrrl – a celebration of her body. Yes she’s been through the ringer but Lizzo won't be played a fool no more, offering no-good fellas a warning on big soul anthem, Whose Hair (is this in my bed) because “it ain't from my head”.
DAILY STAR Rating ****
