(EMI)

This smooth new house from Jack is built to last

Jack Peñate’s new album Everything Is New is quite the turn-around from his 2007 release, Matinee. After his first album was torn apart for stumbling along the well-worn path already taken by numerous indie rockers, Peñate clued on to the wonders of a change in tack and has sprung up from the downtrodden with a wildly better release. Citing influences like krautrock, afrobeat, Philly soul and gospel, this new album is house music in its prime, with songs smooth enough to pour in a long glass and sip slowly. There are strong Latin American tones, particularly in such tracks as Give Yourself Away, which begins sounding like Brazil’s Carnival, while Peñate’s charming London accent adds to the cultural mishmash. The one strangely disappointing thing is that the songs chosen for release are some of the least inspiring on the CD. Presumably with the aim of appealing to a wider audience, the singles released thus far are essentially dance tracks – still enjoyable, just a little bland. The first single, Tonight’s Today, is a feel-good track with a beat that has a tendency to induce samba, while Be The One has delectable lyrics, such as “I lay and watch you sleep beneath the citrus sky / Pretending not to see you through my wanting eyes”. Highlights of the album include the opening track, Pull My Heart Away, and the piano-infused, melodic Body Down.

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NINA ATKINSON

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