NathanPackham

Always happy to stand up for Robbie, but I've just realized that he hasn't really released a good album since 2002. It's the usual frustrations. You're in the middle of a Robbie song you're getting on with and a garish, ham-fisted lyric will completely ruin proceedings. I think "Wind your body to the bass line /
Forget about your waistline" from Selfish Disco on the deluxe edition takes the victory for me. On a more positive note, 'Spies' droning ... read more

I was worried my worst fears were to be realized when I was struggling with the unnecessary #Mother, f***er' refrain on the opener, especially in the context of the middling reviews. However, I really enjoyed the majority of this. I legitimately work on the 7th floor so the corporate tedium of that track was much appreciated. The bombast of 'Down Season' and 'It's Just Light' stand out on a record which feels a little cobbled together when compared with the fully ... read more

I was really shocked by how accomplished and fully formed this sounded. As this hadn't been available for like the entirety of my lifetime, I had built-up an assumption that this would be quite lo-fi and understated. It might be that the remaster job is excellent, but this sounds just as clean as the Mac mid-70s stuff. 'Frozen Love' is just spine tingling, an unfurling epic that stands up against anything else written by these two. I'm normally more of a Buckingham guy, but ... read more

Unsure on the timelines here, but wouldn't be surprised if the majority of this came out of the Short n' Sweet sessions and Sabrina's looking to capitalize on the success by releasing the backlog. Backlog is a harsh word to use for this material as there is still plenty to enjoy and the pop hooks are everywhere. Cannot quite believe we're at a point in pop music where even the most mainstream of artists are going all in on the explicitness with a song like 'Tears'. ... read more