LITTLE SIMZ Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Since the release of her last full-length excursion, No Thank You, in 2022, much has changed in the world of Little Simz - both personally and professionally. These twin themes naturally shaped the sound of Lotus, not only her first album in three years, but also a first without her long-term studio partner InFlo - a producer she is suing for L1million in unpaid royalties. She goes in hard (lyrically, we mean) on her former partner on opener 'Thief', a cinematic and loose-limbed number that perfectly encapsulates the more stripped-back, often organic beats and surprisingly personal lyrics that mark out the album. Highlights are plentiful, with the post-punk/punk-funk fired 'Young', string-laden 'Free', heart-aching 'Hollow' and Afrobeat-inspired 'Lion' amongst the standouts.

Review: First released on streaming services back in December, Little Simz fifth album, No Thank You, finally makes it onto CD. Chances are you've already heard it, but if not, we can confirm that it's a genuinely brilliant set that more than lives up to the dizzy heights of its Mercury Prize-winning predecessor, 2021's Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Constructed in great sonic detail by long-term production partner InFlo - all sultry strings, head-nodding R&BV beats, sampled horns, background and chorus vocals from Cleo Sol and warming bass - the ten-track set contains some of Little Simz's most potent lyrics - all of which are delivered with the kind of seamless, London-accented flow that we've come to expect from her. Another triumph from one of the UK's greatest MCs.