The Sellout
4/5
Gray’s 2007 album, Big, was always going to be a tough act to follow, but three years on, she may just have nailed it. Drifting seamlessly in and out of genres, with all the agility of someone who never left the game,
Gray has never sounded better. From R&B in opening title track ‘The Sellout’ to the ‘70s funk feel of ‘Lately’ and on to ‘Real Love’, where she gets soulful with Bobby Brown, she’s softer, more mature, and her trademark helium voice sounds infinitely less strained than on previous records.
During her hiatus she’s clearly learned to have a bit more fun, and jazzier number ‘That Man’ is a great example of this. Lighter on the sorrow than previous offerings, the product of Gray’s latest stint in the studio is both enjoyable and surprising.
