After taking a 5 year tumultuous break, the English artist Elly Jackson a.k.a. La Roux effortlessly avoids the sophomore slump and comes back strong with one of the best pop albums of 2014 - Trouble in Paradise, an album packed with thought and cohesion, rather than a singles' album. Intertwined with elaborate, relatable concepts and imagery, the quirky synth-pop album is a paragon of summer. Unlike her previous self-titled album whose synth-pop sound is more electronic, Trouble in Paradise’s synth-pop sound is more tropical, instrumental, and groovy with influences of disco and reggae, most apparent in the album’s lead single “Uptight Downtown” as well as in “Sexotheque,” “Kiss and Not Tell,” and “Tropical Chancer.” With Trouble in Paradise, La Roux delivers a 9 track album without leaving the people wanting more; every moment on the album is purposeful and essential. Highlights of the album include the rhythmic, cheeky “Sexotheque,” prime for cruising down a summer road with a troublemaker on mind. We mustn't forget the era's introduction, “Let Me Down Gently," where La Roux takes a complete 180 from her previous work (featuring vocals resemblant to Lana Del Rey’s, filled with detached emotion and paired with hard-hitting beats). The dark, intense ‘80s-inspired “Silent Partner” (which most mirrors the electronic synths in La Roux’s debut album), the groovy ear-candy with the most hit potential “Tropical Chancer,” and the heart-wrenching “Paradise Is You” are other must-listens. Well-utilized instruments on the album include the saxophone on “Silent Partner,” piano on “Paradise Is You,” guitar on “Kiss and Not Tell” and “Tropical Chancer,” and drums on “Tropical Chancer.” La Roux also deserves to be lauded for having written and produced the closing track “The Feeling” completely on her own, as this is becoming increasingly rare in the pop music industry. All in all, La Roux proves the nay-sayers with this album that she is here to stay and her music just keeps getting better.
Trouble in Paradise’s catalog number is B0020943-01. The album was released through Cherrytree Records and Interscope Records in the United States; through Universal Music Group in Australia, Germany, Netherlands, France, Canada, and Japan; and through Polydor Records in Ireland and United Kingdom.
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