Merge US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: The world may feel dark and depressing right now, but mercifully there are still artists whose escapist instincts can help lighten the gloom. Hollie Cook, daughter of Sex Pistols' Paul Cook and long a purveyor of soul-fired dub and reggae, is one such artist. Happy Hour, her first album in four years, is a glorious, life-affirming distraction in this summer of discontent - a colourful, groovy, bass-heavy and sugary-sweet riff on lovers rock capable of putting a spring in your step. Our picks of an especially strong bunch include the weary-but-uplifting title track, the jaunty 'Kush Kween' (featuring the distinctive vocals of guest Jah9) and the immersive, sonically kaleidoscopic 'Full Moon Baby'.

Review: Hollie Cook's superb new album Happy Hour sees the modern day lovers rock star really mature her sound and come good on everything she has promised before now. She has a happy, feel good and lush singing style that has, since the 70s, become a British reggae signature and it is laid bare here for all to enjoy. Her lyrics are also hugely personal and really invite you in deep to her world with her General Roots band members Ben Mckone and Luke Allwood, and executive producer Youth, all in fine form.

Review: If Electricity is anything to go by, Eno Williams and his Ibibio Sound Machine band were particularly productive during the various pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and '21. The resultant album, the rightly acclaimed group's fourth studio set to date, is predictably inspired, with hired-in producers Hot Chip wisely choosing to subtly tweak rather than totally overhaul the band's distinctive trademark fusion of kaleidoscopic synth-funk, West African disco and boogie, '80s electro and the more electronic end of the post-punk spectrum. Highlights include the throbbing, polyrhythmic Afro-electro of 'Electricity' and the acid-sporting nu-disco brilliance of 'All That I Want', but it's the set's overall feel - described by Williams as "Moroder meets Afro-futurism" - that really delights.