Nerina Pallot - Year Of The Wolf

Written and recorded during Pallot’s pregnancy last year, this Bernard Butler produced forth album resonates with a classy sheen. Whilst third album ‘The Graduate’ divided opinion as to its merit, ‘Year Of The Wolf’ ought to see Nerina Pallot deservedly embed herself once more into Radio 2’s daytime playlists, having previously troubled the charts with second album ‘Fires’.

The album doesn’t throw up any major surprises, but her new body of work radiates with a confidence to her vocals that matches the strings flittering in and out the album’s eleven tracks. Opening with a trio of unashamedly catchy pop songs, there is a notably more laid back feel to her repertoire.

The stomp of first single ‘Put Your Hands Up’ fizzes with a jazzy vibe that permeates through the remainder of the album, ‘Turn Me On Again’ is a tribute of sorts to early Norah Jones, whilst ‘Grace’ is an absolute delight of vocal intimacy. Although ‘This Will Be Our Year’ is guilty of perhaps crossing the line of syrupy nostalgia, the strongest tracks by far reside within the albums second half. ‘History Boys’, a reflection on motherhood and war, is a fine conclusion to an album that revels in its own romanticism, and is at its most effective in the early hours of the morning.