Album Review: LP, Love Lines

Get this. LP – aka Laura Pergolizzi – has written hit songs for Rihanna, Rita Ora, Cher, Backstreet Boys, Leona Lewis, Céline Dion and Christina Aguilera. Certainly, that’s fair tipping in any money. And yet, astonishingly, they still have a colossal oilfield left in the tank that can gush out songs of the calibre of ‘Golden’, ‘Love Song’, ‘One Like You’ and ‘Long Goodbye’.

Chuck in the fact that Love Lines is their seventh album, and that they look as ice-cool as Exile-era Keith Richards, and yeah, it’s safe to say LP is incredible

Diverse too. ‘Love Song’ comes out of the blocks all Footloose-fizzed, while ‘One Like You’ is Bonnie Taylor-shampooed. Lead single ‘Golden’ throws a show-and-go, power-pop feint, but its intriguing arrangement tricks it into funkier territory. The ‘Big Time’ blend of 1970s Californian folk and Nashville country is mighty, while the baroque chamber-pop of ‘Blow’ shows LP can put their hand to pretty much anything.

But to close, let’s talk ‘Long Goodbye’. When it gets to counting the chips for the best soul vocalists of the 1960s, Diana Ross, Aretha, Janis, Etta James and Dusty Springfield trump most. LP raises the spirit of Dusty In Memphis so vividly, it has you checking the stereo to make sure you’re playing the right album. Absolutely marvellous.

8/10