Having produced several EPs over the past few years that have placed him firmly in the category of artists to keep an eye on, the eclectic and prolific Polish producer Bartosz Kruczyński aka Earth Trax has now released his first long format, with the rather understated name LP1. Originally noticed for his dreamy deep house created with his fellow countryman Newborn Jr (the alias of Adam Brocki) which attracted comparisons with trailblazing British group Orbital, Earth Trax displays his versatility, talent for arranging and the full spectrum of his electronic culture: acid house (Full Throttle, Pandora’s Box), electronica (Adhocracy), breakbeat (Squawk Box), drum’n’bass (Fade Away or the single I’m Not Afraid), ambient/psychedelic (Your Fading Other) and atmospheric deep house (the languid Mechanisms)... They are all coherently injected in one way or another into this project, a real demonstration of musical intelligence. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz

LP1 marks the third successive album from Joss Stone where she’s attempting to hit the restart button on her career, to usher in a new beginning for the neo-soul diva or, better yet, find the right setting for her considerable gifts. This journey began with 2007’s splashy modern R&B set Introducing Joss Stone, a makeover she rebelled against on her major-label kiss-off Colour Me Free, and now that she’s truly independent, she’s aligned with Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart for LP1, returning to the classicism of her earliest work. There is a difference. Stewart is naturally reluctant to present Stone in a strictly soul setting; R&B is the foundation, but he dabbles in tight funk, folk, blues, Euro-rock, and modernist pop, giving LP1 just enough elasticity so it breathes and just enough color so it doesn’t seem staid. Then, there’s Stone herself. She may still have a tendency to over-sell her songs, but she doesn’t sound like she is patterning herself after her idols; she’s developing her own style, somewhere between classic soul and the pyrotechnics of modern divas, her settings leaning toward the former and her phrasing the latter. LP1 doesn’t always achieve a balance between the two extremes, not to the extent Stone and Stewart desires, as some of the ballads are a little formless and some of the funk a little too restricted, while some of Joss’ posturing is a little affected, but it has more moments that work than anything she’s done since her actual debut in 2003. If this winds up being the first album of many that mine this style, LP1 will serve its purpose well.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

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First Zayn, then Harry and Niall, and finally -- nearly four years after the split of U.K. boy band One Direction -- former member Liam Payne unveiled his official full-length debut, 2019's LP1. Under construction since 2017, the set smartly includes all of his previously released hit singles, including the multi-platinum global smash "Strip That Down" with Quavo, which joins fresh material that charts Payne's bittersweet trials with love ("Remember," "Heart Meet Break," "All I Want (For Christmas)"), his robust sex life ("Rude Hours" and "Both Ways"), and a youthful, party-loving lifestyle ("Hips Don't Lie," "Weekend"). Whereas his 1D brethren managed to carve out distinct personalities with their solo albums -- Zayn's brooding R&B epics, Harry's effortless rock star poses, and Niall's wholesome singer/songwriter authenticity -- Payne tackles hip-hop and electronic genres but struggles to distinguish himself from the crop of similar-sounding contemporaries. Without a clear direction, the sleek pop confections on LP1 sound more like a streaming playlist set to shuffle. That's not to say the album is a total loss. Payne works best when he has a vocal foil and, fortunately, there are plenty of guests here. Bronx-bred rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie contributes a clever verse on the Ed Sheeran-penned "Stack It Up" (which, for better or worse, sounds strikingly similar to "Strip That Down," the other Sheeran contribution), while J Balvin injects pulsing Latin flair with "Familiar." Elsewhere, electronic producers Cheat Codes, Jonas Blue, and Zedd craft uplifting dance anthems on their respective entries, "Live Forever," "Polaroid," and "Get Low." Above all, the album's best track, the gorgeous pop gem "For You," is the gift that keeps on giving. The Fifty Shades Freed single was a hit throughout 2018, boosting both Payne and duet partner Rita Ora, who later bundled it onto her own solo set, Phoenix. Receiving yet another lease on life, it shines just as bright on LP1, overshadowing much of the other material in the process. Front-loaded with mostly forgettable trifles, the album is saved by this bountiful back-end, which plays like an early prediction of a potential greatest-hits collection. If Payne can find a more distinctive vision and a team who can better utilize his strong vocals, he might get a chance for that longevity. For now, LP1 merely hints at his future potential.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

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First Zayn, then Harry and Niall, and finally -- nearly four years after the split of U.K. boy band One Direction -- former member Liam Payne unveiled his official full-length debut, 2019's LP1. Under construction since 2017, the set smartly includes all of his previously released hit singles, including the multi-platinum global smash "Strip That Down" with Quavo, which joins fresh material that charts Payne's bittersweet trials with love ("Remember," "Heart Meet Break," "All I Want (For Christmas)"), his robust sex life ("Rude Hours" and "Both Ways"), and a youthful, party-loving lifestyle ("Hips Don't Lie," "Weekend"). Whereas his 1D brethren managed to carve out distinct personalities with their solo albums -- Zayn's brooding R&B epics, Harry's effortless rock star poses, and Niall's wholesome singer/songwriter authenticity -- Payne tackles hip-hop and electronic genres but struggles to distinguish himself from the crop of similar-sounding contemporaries. Without a clear direction, the sleek pop confections on LP1 sound more like a streaming playlist set to shuffle. That's not to say the album is a total loss. Payne works best when he has a vocal foil and, fortunately, there are plenty of guests here. Bronx-bred rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie contributes a clever verse on the Ed Sheeran-penned "Stack It Up" (which, for better or worse, sounds strikingly similar to "Strip That Down," the other Sheeran contribution), while J Balvin injects pulsing Latin flair with "Familiar." Elsewhere, electronic producers Cheat Codes, Jonas Blue, and Zedd craft uplifting dance anthems on their respective entries, "Live Forever," "Polaroid," and "Get Low." Above all, the album's best track, the gorgeous pop gem "For You," is the gift that keeps on giving. The Fifty Shades Freed single was a hit throughout 2018, boosting both Payne and duet partner Rita Ora, who later bundled it onto her own solo set, Phoenix. Receiving yet another lease on life, it shines just as bright on LP1, overshadowing much of the other material in the process. Front-loaded with mostly forgettable trifles, the album is saved by this bountiful back-end, which plays like an early prediction of a potential greatest-hits collection. If Payne can find a more distinctive vision and a team who can better utilize his strong vocals, he might get a chance for that longevity. For now, LP1 merely hints at his future potential.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

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First Zayn, then Harry and Niall, and finally -- nearly four years after the split of U.K. boy band One Direction -- former member Liam Payne unveiled his official full-length debut, 2019's LP1. Under construction since 2017, the set smartly includes all of his previously released hit singles, including the multi-platinum global smash "Strip That Down" with Quavo, which joins fresh material that charts Payne's bittersweet trials with love ("Remember," "Heart Meet Break," "All I Want (For Christmas)"), his robust sex life ("Rude Hours" and "Both Ways"), and a youthful, party-loving lifestyle ("Hips Don't Lie," "Weekend"). Whereas his 1D brethren managed to carve out distinct personalities with their solo albums -- Zayn's brooding R&B epics, Harry's effortless rock star poses, and Niall's wholesome singer/songwriter authenticity -- Payne tackles hip-hop and electronic genres but struggles to distinguish himself from the crop of similar-sounding contemporaries. Without a clear direction, the sleek pop confections on LP1 sound more like a streaming playlist set to shuffle. That's not to say the album is a total loss. Payne works best when he has a vocal foil and, fortunately, there are plenty of guests here. Bronx-bred rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie contributes a clever verse on the Ed Sheeran-penned "Stack It Up" (which, for better or worse, sounds strikingly similar to "Strip That Down," the other Sheeran contribution), while J Balvin injects pulsing Latin flair with "Familiar." Elsewhere, electronic producers Cheat Codes, Jonas Blue, and Zedd craft uplifting dance anthems on their respective entries, "Live Forever," "Polaroid," and "Get Low." Above all, the album's best track, the gorgeous pop gem "For You," is the gift that keeps on giving. The Fifty Shades Freed single was a hit throughout 2018, boosting both Payne and duet partner Rita Ora, who later bundled it onto her own solo set, Phoenix. Receiving yet another lease on life, it shines just as bright on LP1, overshadowing much of the other material in the process. Front-loaded with mostly forgettable trifles, the album is saved by this bountiful back-end, which plays like an early prediction of a potential greatest-hits collection. If Payne can find a more distinctive vision and a team who can better utilize his strong vocals, he might get a chance for that longevity. For now, LP1 merely hints at his future potential.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

First Zayn, then Harry and Niall, and finally -- nearly four years after the split of U.K. boy band One Direction -- former member Liam Payne unveiled his official full-length debut, 2019's LP1. Under construction since 2017, the set smartly includes all of his previously released hit singles, including the multi-platinum global smash "Strip That Down" with Quavo, which joins fresh material that charts Payne's bittersweet trials with love ("Remember," "Heart Meet Break," "All I Want (For Christmas)"), his robust sex life ("Rude Hours" and "Both Ways"), and a youthful, party-loving lifestyle ("Hips Don't Lie," "Weekend"). Whereas his 1D brethren managed to carve out distinct personalities with their solo albums -- Zayn's brooding R&B epics, Harry's effortless rock star poses, and Niall's wholesome singer/songwriter authenticity -- Payne tackles hip-hop and electronic genres but struggles to distinguish himself from the crop of similar-sounding contemporaries. Without a clear direction, the sleek pop confections on LP1 sound more like a streaming playlist set to shuffle. That's not to say the album is a total loss. Payne works best when he has a vocal foil and, fortunately, there are plenty of guests here. Bronx-bred rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie contributes a clever verse on the Ed Sheeran-penned "Stack It Up" (which, for better or worse, sounds strikingly similar to "Strip That Down," the other Sheeran contribution), while J Balvin injects pulsing Latin flair with "Familiar." Elsewhere, electronic producers Cheat Codes, Jonas Blue, and Zedd craft uplifting dance anthems on their respective entries, "Live Forever," "Polaroid," and "Get Low." Above all, the album's best track, the gorgeous pop gem "For You," is the gift that keeps on giving. The Fifty Shades Freed single was a hit throughout 2018, boosting both Payne and duet partner Rita Ora, who later bundled it onto her own solo set, Phoenix. Receiving yet another lease on life, it shines just as bright on LP1, overshadowing much of the other material in the process. Front-loaded with mostly forgettable trifles, the album is saved by this bountiful back-end, which plays like an early prediction of a potential greatest-hits collection. If Payne can find a more distinctive vision and a team who can better utilize his strong vocals, he might get a chance for that longevity. For now, LP1 merely hints at his future potential.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo