Album reviews: Sabrina Carpenter | The Hives | Saint Etienne | Ron Sexsmith

Sabrina Carpenter: Man’s Best Friend (Island Records) ★★★★

The Hives: The Hives Forever Forever The Hives (PIAS) ★★★★

Saint Etienne: International (Heavenly) ★★★★

Ron Sexsmith: Hangover Terrace (Cooking Vinyl) ★★★★

Sabrina Carpenter has her own hard act to follow. Just over a year since her sixth album Short n’ Sweet sent her supernova, she is back with a similarly knowing and playful pop record which is strong on style and right on Dolly Partonesque not-so-dumb blonde brand.

Like Parton, she keeps it simple, light, catchy and tuneful across a number of pop genres, a smart skill in itself. Man’s Best Friend riffs on the theme of man trouble. “I like my men all incompetent” she proclaims on opening track Manchild before getting hot for DIY and general capabilities on Tears, where she is emphatically not crying at the discotheque.

She pivots slightly to Seventies symphonic Europop on My Man on Willpower, lamenting her lover’s lack of interest now he’s all reconstructed. Never Getting Laid inhabits similar territory, but unleashes pure passive aggression at being ditched. Actions speak louder than words on sultry country soul pop number Sugar Talking before she turbo-charges Taylor territory on We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night.

READ MORE: Chappell Roan, Edinburgh review: 'joyous'

Ditched and sorry for herself on cheesy pop number Nobody’s Son, she resorts to beats last heard on a Bucks Fizz record.

Next, she recycles prehistoric sentiments with tongue in cheek on When Did You Get Hot (“congratulations on your new improvements”), offers her bluegrass-flavoured ode to drinking and dialing on Go Go Juice and presents a laundry list of bad girlfriend cliches on doe-eyed ballad Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry. As she rounds off by inviting you in to see her etchings on House Tour then gives the satisfying brush-off on the Abbaesque Goodbye, the apprehension remains - was the last 40 minutes a whirlwind pop romance or have we just been played?

Sweden’s primo gonzo rock’n’roll exponents The Hives return with trademark bratty attitude and comic braggadocio on their seventh album, which opens with their very own B-movie trailer voiceover and amps up the sweaty scale to arena level, with a little help from collaborators Mike D and Josh Homme.

The opening seconds of Bad Call threaten a disco explosion but this turns out to be a false alarm as they unleash another glam garage bruiser instead, then pitch headlong into the snotty punk of Paint a Picture and jabbering nosebleed metal of O.C.D.O.D. Legalize Living is the one that sounds like it was ripped off The Cure’s Let’s Go To Bed, while Born A Rebel smashes ska, Tex Mex and Duane Eddy twang together with a cheeky nod to the Steve Miller Band’s Abracadabra.

Saint Etienne go out in impeccable style with what will be their final album, International. This is not entirely the end of the road for the beloved indie trio, who plan to tour next year so we can all join the leaving party alongside guests such as Nick Heyward, who adds to the pop glow of The Go Between and Vince Clarke, who co-writes Two Hearts.

Members of the Chemical Brothers and Doves join in on the bittersweet sampledelic pop of Glad, and Confidence Man’s Janet Planet is the perfect partner on the pure pop of Brand New Me. Shimmering dance track Dancing Heart radiates Kylie vibes, while the airy rave of Take Me to the Pilot is not to be confused with the Elton John song of the same name.

READ MORE: David Gray, Edinburgh review: 'pleasingly gruff-voiced'

Perennially under-appreciated Canadian troubadour Ron Sexsmith is once again on his exquisite songwriting game with Hangover Terrace. While all is harmony musically, there are lyrical barbs and introspection on the post-Covid angst of Easy For You To Say, When Will Morning Come and Please Don’t Tell Me Why. In contrast, slowburn gem House of Love is warm and welcoming and Cigarette and Cocktail is a nostalgic celebration of the louche living of previous generations, like the US suburban equivalent of Cigarettes and Alcohol.

CLASSICAL

Eternal Notre-Dame: Vincent Dubois (Warner Classics) ★★★★★

One of the great fears following Notre-Dame de Paris’ 2019 fire was that the historic Cavaillé-Coll Great Organ would be reduced to mangled metal and ash. Miraculously, however, it was salvaged, and this exuberant album by current organist Vincent Dubois captures it in spectacular renewed health. The diversity of Dubois’ programme - bona fide organ showpieces mixed with breathtaking concert arrangements - reflects the infinite expressive versatility of the instrument. Programmatic cohesion comes from significant representation of organist/composers associated with the cathedral, both past and present. Among them are Widor, Franck, Vierne and, from more recent times, Pierre Cochereau. Among the outsiders, Dubois adds some Bach to illustrate the organ’s sparkly Baroque persona, but it’s the arrangements that truly titillate: from a supersonic Flight of the Bumblebee, Rachmaninov and Ravel lollipops, to a madcap take on La Marseillaise by Claude Balbastre, complete with incendiary warfare, playing mischievously with the building’s endless echo. Ken Walton

JAZZ

Paul Harrison: Encontros: The Music of Egberto Gismonti (Harriphonic) ★★★★★

Glasgow pianist Paul Harrison has long admired the music of Brazilian composer Egberto Gismonti, as testified by his esteemed Trio Mágico with Scots-Brazilian bassist Mario Lima Caribé and drummer Stuart Brown. This gorgeous album sees the trio’s tonal palette and rhythmic possibilities richly expanded by guests. Caribé’s supple double bass introduces the opening, lyrical Ano Zero, which becomes a showcase for Harrison’s playing before Laura MacDonald’s alto sax adds fresh colour to the brightly ranging Palhaço. The short but magical Transition introduces real-deal Brazilian percussionist Edmundo Carneiro before Lôro features the lissom vocalising of Rachel Lightbody, Fraser Fifield’s sinuous whistle later joining her in Bianca. Meninas sees dreamy sax and cello (Su-a Lee) sing out with crystalline piano, Su-a returning for the choro swirl of Sete Aneis, before Harrison’s lovely solo sign-off, A Fala Da Paixão, with its farewell sighs of synthesiser. Jim Gilchrist

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