David Bowie - Blackstar
★★★★
It is a measure of David Bowie's standing that even his death has received rave reviews . (The singer "turned his own death into piece of art", according to one approving Daily Telegraph article.) Indeed some believe Bowie went further than that. They reckon he used his final album's title track to anoint his musical heir. "Something happened on the day he died," he sings. "Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside. Someone else took his place..."
So who is the Blackstar referred to here? Online conspiracy nuts point out that the opening track on Bowie's signature album Ziggy Stardust was Five Years. And five years and two days after it was released, in June 1972, Kanye West was born. Not convinced yet? Well, look at the shop sign Ziggy is standing under on the iconic record sleeve: K. West. QED, my friends. QED.
Anne Marie - Do It Right
★★
Sometime Rudimental associate, and three time world karate champion (!!) Anne Marie is an Essex-born singer tipped for world domination this year. "Patience, young grasshopper," as Mr Miyagi might caution. This is mediocre R&B sludge with a rewritten Wham lyric for a chorus.
Kendrick Lamar - Untitled 2 (Live on Jimmy Fallon)
★★★★
Showcased on NBC's The Tonight Show, Untitled 2 could be described as hip-hop's answer to Roy Orbison's In Dreams. That is to say, it's a six-minute free verse epic with no hook, no chorus, just the mesmerising flow of one of the world's greatest rappers at the very top of his game.
Courtney Barnett - Three Packs a Day
★★★★
This latest new track from Barnett is not about cigarettes, but rather her addiction to instant ramen. As usual, the singer's languid delivery places her halfway between shaggy dog charmer and last-person- on-earth-you-want-to-get- stuck-beside-on-an-airplane. "The MSG tastes good to me," she rambles at one point. "I disagree with all your warnings."
