LAURA GROVES Vinilo y CD

Review: It has been 14 long years in the making, but Laura Groves has finally made the triumphant return we all hoped she might, one day. Unfamiliar? No worries - a quick step back in time might bring the memories flooding back... albeit from her old moniker, Blue Roses. Barely into her 20s, the sole, self-titled album released under that name via XL Recordings was a captivating example of young singer-songwriter romanticism, simultaneously capable of making us feel elated and utterly distraught. Groves' voice is what really stood out, not that the beautiful, often dream-like arrangements weren't also incredible. Thankfully, those vocals are back again here, and arguably in even finer form. Radio Red, the artist's first outing under her own name, is a lush, deep dive into crystalline pop, rarely breaking sweat in tempo terms, and instead inviting us into a fantasy world with shades of folk, soul, and synth audible in the intoxicating mix.