Album Review: Speak Your Mind, Anne-Marie

One of several pop sensations initially championed by Hot Press – hello also to Dua Lipa – Anne-Marie has taken her time delivering a debut album. That might be considered a surprise given the straight to the point, high-kicking persona the Essex native has cultivated (she’s a karate black belt).

The delay was caused, she has stated, by her desire to deliver a record that represented who she truly was – not what sundry producers and songwriting collaborators thought she represented. Her stance has been justified on a project which builds on the potential of early hits ‘Alarm’ and ‘Ciao Adios’, as well as her contributions to Rudimental.

One immediate stand-out is ‘2002’, written in conjunction with – well, who else? – ginger pop titan Ed Sheeran, while it’s encouraging to hear her venturing out on a limb on the crashing, dubstep informed ‘Bad Girlfriend’.

True, several tracks float aimlessly by and if Anne-Marie has been vocal in the media in condemning Theresa May et al, there are clearly limits as to how challenging she is prepared to be in the studio. This is nonetheless a brisk and effective debut – no masterpiece, but a solid first step that hints at bigger, brighter things to come.

Record label: Atlantic
Listen to: ‘Bad Girlfriend’
Overall rating: 6/10