Ah, Florence Welch, the poor dear has been surrounded by hype, had the millstone of the Critics Choice Brit Award hung around her neck and then been lumped in with the rash of electro-pop starlets cropping up in the UK music scene (hello Little Boots, La Roux et al). In the end of course, no amount of hype, excitement or indeed lambasting (for unlike last years media darlings Duffy and Adele Florence and the Machine have not been universally praised) can save them from the glaring eyes of the musicians most feared adversary… the critic. Thankfully young Florence has the perfect protection in the form of an album of, frankly, lovely tunes that are both well crafted and wonderfully simple. Opening with ‘Dog Days Are Over’ and following up with current single ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’ the album delivers a satisfying one-two punch of hits that would be impressive enough, even without so many other good tracks to follow. Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Maximo Park), James Ford (Arctic Monkeys) and Steve Mackay (Pulp) share production duties, but they all have the same approach, giving the songs plenty of breathing room and centring the sound around Welch’s deep and powerful vocals. It’s a pleasant change to hear such a warm and resounding sound coming from a young girls mouth after so many electro-poppers and their reedy brand of singing. Closing with a fun run through The Source’s (with Candi Staton of course) ‘You’ve Got The Love’, we’re reminded of this young girls sense of fun, and that’s exactly what this album is, great fun… backed up with some impressive song writing skill!Â
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