Supervision is some of Jackson's most consistent work, and hearing her have this much fun growing into her music -- and herself -- is infectious.
This is a new and halcyon vision, one that sees Jackson shed any urgency to reach the dizzying heights of 2006 while eschewing trends and expectations. La Roux has found her voice again.
La Roux's Supervision is a testament to propelling forward, even if its sounds take you backward, and knowing that good synthpop will never go out of style.
The album is not a wash, despite what it may sound like. The songs are fine and are easy to let glide over you as they unfold over 42 minutes.
In an era where pop identity can feel more manufactured than ever, Jackson seems more and more honest with each release even as she finds new and surprising ways to articulate that honesty.
High notes are hard to come by on Supervision, but that means it’s a pretty smooth listen.
Largely inoffensive and wholly listenable. Which is fine, but we’ve come to expect more from La Roux.
As an exercise in reclaiming control, in setting out her stall, it is a definite success, a hand-made pop exercise in an era dominated by algorithmic marketing plans. As a listening experience, though, it’s somewhat limited and frustratingly repetitive, ultimately paling next to La Roux’s previous heights.
Supervision is certainly not a bad album, but it’s a far cry from the bristling pop genius of Jackson’s best work.
Supervision is at times frustrating – an avoidable misstep here, an overindulgence there. But it also contains some of La Roux’s best music to date, music that’s witty, danceable and endearing all in one.
Supervision falls short of that wow factor that La Roux has so effortlessly delivered in the past.
Whereas La Roux’s earlier songs were compressed tightly into radio-friendly singles that were as fleeting as they were catchy, Supervision lets each song simmer for longer than you’d expect.
From the get-go, the record is a letdown. The production is tinny and lacks depth, with each tune crying out for a bassline.
Everything's fine, nothing's especially bad. It all just feels a bit 'meh' and unsurprising, which is desperately unlike what we have come to expect from La Roux.
Supervision doesn’t feel like a career-resurrecting comeback but nor does it feel like the game is over yet for this unique artist.
#5 | / | USA Today |