Albums to watch

Trouble in Paradise

La Roux

Trouble in Paradise

After a 5 year break, some time out of the limelight and a split from producer/songwriter Ben Langmaid, Elly Jackson releases her second album

ADM rating[?]

7.8

Label
Polydor
UK Release date
21/07/2014
US Release date
22/07/2014
  1. 10.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Jackson hasn't lost her fierceness or awkwardness, but has somehow found a way to revel in discomfort and turn it into something you want to dive into. This album is a glorious vindication
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  2. 10.0 |   The Guardian

    Almost sickeningly overburdened with fantastic tunes, Trouble in Paradise may well be not just a triumph against the odds, but the best pop album we'll hear this year
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  3. 10.0 |   Time Out

    The overall result is just fabulous: if this album doesn’t become the soundtrack of your summer, you’ll be missing out
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  4. 10.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    At only nine tracks long, but with every one of them worthy of single status, it displays, as pop albums go, both rare economy and staggering consistency
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  5. 9.0 |   NME

    In spite of all the terror and uncertainty, it's the warmth that lingers
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  6. 9.0 |   Clash

    This polished set is pure aural candy from front-to-back and firmly re-establishes Jackson as one of Britain’s premier pop talents
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  7. 9.0 |   The Music

    Five years on from her debut, Trouble In Paradise is a mature, meticulously crafted album full of rich detail
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  8. 9.0 |   Digital Spy

    An utter triumph: an album of wall-to-wall bangers which makes a mockery of the idea that all those long chewed-over ideas would sound old-hat upon release
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  9. 8.0 |   Q

    Barely a wasted note here, La Roux has reinvented herself. Print edition only

  10. 8.0 |   Uncut

    A much warmer, more luxurious record than the brittle debut. Print edition only

  11. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Elly Jackson firmly takes control of her career and delivers a tremendously confident second album, one that repositions La Roux and has a whole lot of fun while doing so
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  12. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    It doesn’t rely on extravagant motifs or flamboyant anthems. There’s a notable evolution here
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  13. 8.0 |   The Digital Fix

    A triumph then, but a quiet confident one, not brash and loud
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  14. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    The sound here is warmer, more organic, her distinctive falsetto less strident and frequently drifting below her familiar register
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  15. 8.0 |   DIY

    La Roux is quickly establishing herself as a formidable force of pop, and it will be interesting to see where Elly Jackson goes from here
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  16. 8.0 |   The FT

    Warmer-sounding and more consistent in quality than its predecessor
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  17. 8.0 |   Spin

    Jackson writes open-endedly, shifting between direct experience and metaphor
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  18. 8.0 |   Beardfood

    Trouble In Paradise thrives on repeat listens and showcases its beauty
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  19. 8.0 |   Fact

    La Roux’s march may has slowed to a stroll, but she proves here that she can captivate at any pace
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  20. 8.0 |   Earbuddy

    Jackson is doing her thing and having a great time doing it; if there’s trouble in paradise it sure as hell can’t be heard on this album
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  21. 7.5 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    Is Trouble In Paradise a groundbreaking work of unparalleled foresight and talent? No. But is it a spectacular assessment of La Roux’s painfully progressive growth over the past half-decade? Maybe
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  22. 7.0 |   All Music

    Proves Jackson is still better than many of her contemporaries when it comes to making fizzy electro-pop
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  23. 7.0 |   Under The Radar

    A little more pumped-up, even; it eclipses its mid-fi full-length predecessor (the eponymous La Roux from 2009) in the scale of its arrangements
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  24. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    Trouble in Paradise is at once sleek and solid, every track pulsing with a kind of confidence that invites closer listening but is equally pleasant as a collection of mood-heightening jams
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  25. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Suggests Jackson's in for the long haul
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  26. 7.0 |   The 405

    Jackson is offering up something much more substantial and satisfying this time around
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  27. 6.7 |   Consequence Of Sound

    On Trouble in Paradise, we are allowed to participate in Jackson’s insecurities
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  28. 6.5 |   Pitchfork

    For all Jackson's personal struggle and exploration, Paradise feels like a safe record
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  29. 6.0 |   The Observer

    After a five-year wait, the flame-quiffed androgyne returns with a persuasive second helping of cool synth-pop
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  30. 6.0 |   PopMatters

    Elly Jackson has evolved and improved over her debut. While their may be nothing quite as earworm-worthy as “Bulletproof” on this album, she makes a strong case for an artist to keep listening to looking into the future
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  31. 6.0 |   Mojo

    A good listen, that slightly misses the debut’s exuberant cohesion. Print edition only

  32. 6.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    There's absolutely nothing wrong with writing surface-level pop, but it has to be as close to flawless as you can get
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  33. 5.0 |   Slant Magazine

    When Trouble in Paradise loses its way, it's because Jackson has traded in her frigid allure and commanding bellicosity for frailty and soft-heartedness, sentiments she doesn't deliver with any sort of sincerity
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La Roux: Trouble in Paradise

  • Download full album for just £7.99
  • 1. Uptight Downtown £0.99
  • 2. Kiss And Not Tell £0.99
  • 3. Cruel Sexuality £0.99
  • 4. Paradise Is You £0.99
  • 5. Sexotheque £0.99
  • 6. Tropical Chancer £0.99
  • 7. Silent Partner £0.99
  • 8. Let Me Down Gently £0.99
  • 9. The Feeling £0.99
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