KYLIE MINOGUE Kiss Me Once

Kylie Minogue took the brave – and risky – move of signing with a new record company for her 12th studio album after parting ways with long-time manager Terry Blamey. The result, Kiss Me Once, is her first album with Jay Z’s label Roc Nation, and the first new material since 2010’s Aphrodite. Loyal fans will be pleased that Minogue isn’t neglecting her pop princess roots. Opening track Into The Blue is a shimmery tune, while A Million Miles with its thumping dance beat and I Was Gonna Cancel, written by Pharrell Williams, are irresistibly fun hits. Minogue sparkles throughout her latest offering, which is yet again glorious, unadulterated pop. 8.5/10 – Shereen Low

SKY FERREIRA Night Time, My Time

This album from American model-turned-singer songwriter Sky Ferreira has been a long time coming. Initially signed to a record deal when she was 15, some of the 21-year-old’s initial recordings were deemed unsuitable by her record company. Night Time, My Time proves to be well worth the wait, with Ferreira’s songwriting and the largely electro-pop backing proving a winning combination. Touted as a star in the making, she certainly lives up to the billing with songs as strong as catchy opener Boys, the touching Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Okay) and superb Everything Is Embarrassing. Ferreira’s debut is likely to earn her a big following.

8/10 – Kim Mayo

BLACK LIPS Underneath the Rainbow

Despite being known for their stage antics though, it is their blistering talent that keeps Atlanta’s Black Lips running. From the opening Monkees hat-tip of Drive-By Buddy, through the southern state whiskey-soaked ballad of Boys In The Wood to the marvellous noir rockabilly of Do The Vibrate, Black Lips sound all grown up on this, their seventh album.

7/10 – John Skilbeck