c/o swaggernewyork.com

Imagine waking up for the gym early, and I mean really early. It’s Monday morning, it’s 7:30 a.m., and the fitness center is not nearly as comforting as your warm, cocoon-like bed back home. Look over at the treadmill, and then turn instead to the much kinder elliptical. You could kill for some decent pump-up music that is not too grating on the ears. Flipping through your music device of choice, you might find a young, ginger, British artist named Katy B, and there you will find the perfect combination of dance, house, and pop to get you going.

After the wild success in the UK of Katy B’s debut album, On A Mission, a strong sophomore album seemed like a tall task. Yet Little Red impressively holds up to its predecessor. The album starts off strong with “Next Thing,” setting the tone for a possibly generic but doubtlessly catchy collection of tracks. The album’s first single, “5 AM,” follows, an upbeat, happy song that tells the tale of a partier dependent on Valium to calm down from a night of craziness.

The hit parade that is the first half of Little Red continues with “Aaliyah.” This third track has just the right amount of “wob” combined with airy “ahhs” to create a surprisingly great song that happens to be sandwiched between Little Red’s two singles. And speaking of singles, “Crying for No Reason” is also a great track. It is a great blend of builds, long synth chords, and a pinch of corniness. “Crying for No Reason” is exactly what is expected of a female pop house signer, but it is so well executed that it makes up for its predictability.

“I Like You” is Katy B’s attempt at adding a bit more electronica to the album. Although in no way is it nearing any form of purely electronic music, the song properly uses typical electronic sounds to add some flair.

If you’re a bass-lover (and who isn’t), you will like the deep bass of “All My Lovin.’ It follows “I Like You” as a slower song with an effectively loud, bass-driven beat, and it is a nice change in comparison to the rest of the album.

Now for all the readers out there that are looking for love or are a tad over-possessive of their significant other, “Everything” is probably the song for you. The main line repeated over and over—“I will be the one”—does effectively portray to listeners that the protagonist of the track “will be the one” and will be her target’s “everything.” The song has an insistent, low, raspy synth that is introduced during the chorus and a higher xylophone-like beat that is present during the whole track.

Little Red’s one noticeable blemish is “Play,” which attempts to infuse a male voice into the album. Although Sampha himself is not bad, his voice did not seem properly utilized; furthermore, the high-pitched chime beat is more than a little annoying.

The next song, “Sapphire Blue,” is a good follow-up after “Play,” but I would not call it attention grabbing. Yet it soothes listeners’ ears, and its slightly slower pace and melodic vocals do a good job of changing up the feel of the album.

Little Red’s penultimate piece, “Emotions,” and last song, “Still,” are similar. Both barely fit the dance genre; I would argue that they resemble more prototypical pop songs. “Emotions” has a great hook with soaring vocals and a nice little synth that kicks in for the chorus, complementing Katy B’s voice well. “Still” is a softer version of “Emotions” that sounds influenced by female performers such as Kelly Clarkson.

Katy B’s Little Red is certainly a good sophomore album that sufficiently follows up on the success of On A Mission. From start to finish the album is well executed, sticking to what Katy B does best: light, easy dance songs.

I am curious whether she will try out other sounds in her inevitable third album. “Emotion” and “Still” certainly show that Katy B is capable of typical, radio-worthy pop songs. Whether she chooses to continue in that avenue is up to her, but for now I will continue to enjoy this excellent dance album.