This is a puzzle, and no mistake. On his debut album with ‘The Library’, who remain his backing band despite losing their name from his title, Mr Hudson made quintessentially English music about English subjects, using a healthy blend of ska, reggae and chamber pop. Now he’s been discovered by Kanye West, the approach has changed a lot, the music drenched in heavy synths, basic hip hop beats and vocals that are autotuned to death. The lyrics are darker but the music isn’t, creating a strange tension that never really resolves itself. ‘Supernova’ is undeniably uplifting, with its helium-inflected chorus, but much of what’s here sounds like diluted material from ‘808s and Heartbreak’, with somebody else singing. He has a good voice, does Hudson, but what he sings doesn’t make a huge amount of sense when paired with the music – not yet to these ears, at least!
3 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Ben Hogwood