La Roux – Trouble in Paradise

Back in 2009 La Roux was “doing it for a thrill” until she found fame too much to handle and hibernated – until now. Her latest album Trouble in Paradise has a lot to live up to, with her self-titled debut album going double platinum and winning a Grammy.

La Roux, real name Elly Jackson, was born in London and originally started out with producer Ben Langmaid. They’ve since split and this album is her first solo project, which shows. You really get the sense that La Roux is bearing her soul on this record, as much as one can through 80s synths and catchy choruses. She uses this formula again and again but it doesn’t get tiresome. In every song there is something else to enjoy as well: the xylophones in Tropical Chancer, the keyboard in Cruel Sexuality and the rift in Upright Downtown.

Let Me Down Gently has a slightly more ominous feel. Beginning with “let me down gently, I think that’s what I think I need”, it’s reminiscent of the beginning the Skream remix of In For the Kill, a single from her first album. As the song builds there’s a cacophony of saxophones, heavy breathing and synths, which leave the song on a much happier note.

She’s created one of the most energetic albums of the summer, which is amazing given the fact she was crippled with anxiety during her debut album’s release. Throughout the catchy album she’s romantic as well as real, with track Sexotheque talking about a man out to find a woman while his girlfriend is at home. This keeps her relevant despite the obvious 80s influences.

The whole record is a great success and testament to her talent. Let’s just hope it’s not another five years before another album from the redhead.

Samantha Waite

Trouble in Paradise was released on 18^th July 2014. For further information or to order the album visit La Roux’s website here. 

Watch the video for Let Me Down Gently here: