Despite possessing perhaps the U.K.'s most authentic soulful voice, Wolverhampton's finest,
Beverley Knight, has often struggled to find material as strong to accompany it. Since 2002's Mercury Music Prize-nominated
Who I Am, she's flirted with genre-hopping pop on the commercial but unfocused
Affirmation, and old-school Nashville R&B on the mediocre pastiche of
Music City Soul, but both have failed to live up to her reputation as the Queen of British Soul. With contributions from
Janet Jackson's long-term collaborators Jam & Lewis, legendary soul diva
Chaka Khan, and Kevin Bacon, bassist in new wave outfit
the Comsat Angels,
Knight's sixth studio album,
100% appears to have jumped on the ubiquitous '80s revival bandwagon. But unlike the electro-pop of
La Roux and
Little Boots, her first release since leaving Parlophone to set up her own label, Hurricane Records, instead echoes the classy soul balladry of
Anita Baker ("Bare"), the synth-heavy funk of
Alexander O'Neal ("Breakout"), and the acid-jazz leanings of early
Brand New Heavies ("Turned to Stone"). It's a change in direction which, unlike her recent output, feels like a natural progression, its authentic groove-fueled production, thankfully free of Auto-Tune, allowing
Knight's effortlessly smooth and expressive vocals to shine. Elsewhere, "In Your Shoes" is a
Sister Sledge-esque slice of nu-disco which samples
Orange Juice's 1981 hit "Rip It Up," "Soul Survivor," originally written for
Tina Turner, is a toe-tapping gospel-rock duet with her musical idol
Khan, while the lolloping funk of "Gold Chain" recalls the sassy harmonies of early
En Vogue. The cover version of
Bee Gees' "Too Much Heaven," performed here with
Robin Gibb, is a schmaltzy karaoke-style rendition which sits at odds with the rest of the album's more inventive nature, while the likes of "Square Peg" and "Painted Pony" lack the killer hook to elevate them from being mere filler. But, seemingly determined to work her way through the soul music of each decade, the impressively slick and self-assured
100% suggests that it's the '80s where
Knight feels most comfortable. ~ Jon O'Brien