With her most recent albums, 2021’s Sometimes I Might Be Introvert and 2022’s No Thank You, receiving widespread acclaim and topping several Best Album of the Year lists, British rapper Little Simz certainly has a high bar to meet with album number five.

But a quick listen to Lotus will leave you with little doubt just how inventive she continues to be. Across 13 songs, Little Simz takes us deep into her evolution. And while she might still be at the top of her game as an artist, she also shows that she has incredible range and versatility.

On first track, ‘Thief’, Simz raps over a drum and bass beat twinned with a rock and roll riff that sounds like it was nicked from a Tarantino soundtrack. It’s followed by ‘Flood’, which incorporates heavy percussion and Zulu/Xhosa lyrics, sung by Obongjayar and Moonchild Sanelly. The joy of the album is that each song sounds different from the one that came before; from the futuristic disco sounds of ‘Enough’ to the lush, textured arrangements of title track, featuring Michael Kiwanuka.

There’s also incredible wordplay throughout, most particularly on ‘Free’, a timely reflection on how finding real love is often the same as finding independence.

8/10

Out now