ALBUMS / DANCE
Powerhouse is definitely the most personal of the three Planningtorock albums released to date – which is saying something, given the intensity of the first two. This album, however, presents two sides of the coin – there are the early tracks, soaked in R&B, where you feel a close intimacy with singer Jam Rostron. There is a lot of auto-tune here, but it doesn’t mask the pure emotion behind the words, and the beats are classily produced. Then, as the album progresses, we move closer to the house dancefloor. Tracks like ‘Non Binary Femme’ are brilliantly executed, four to the floor winners – profound but expressing plenty through dance too. ‘Beulah Loves Dancing’ works its body off the beat to fantastic effect, while ‘Piece Of My Mind’, again heavily auto-tuned, kicks out a rhythm and deep keyboard combination that melts along with Rostron’s vocal.
Ben Hogwood
5 out of 5
