This week Jess Glynne releases her hotly anticipated sophomore album, Always In Between. CelebMix breaks down the tracks for you.
You heard us right, this is only Glynne’s second album. The seven Number 1 singles she has spawned have come from her knockout debut record, I Cry When I Laugh, and singles alone.
She is back with the new album, Always In Between, and is up to all of the old tricks and flicks. Flying vocals, roaring brass bands, feel-good anthems and eye-watering ballads – Glynne is a pop powerhouse.
‘Intro’
Jess Glynne follows recent pop trends in opening Always In Between with an ‘Intro’ track. The cooing of birds and bold brass section kick-off proceedings in an incredibly Glynne fashion. She title drops former smash ‘My Love’ and warms up those delicious vocal runs she’s famed for.
‘No One’
The first full-length track on the album, a murmur and piano riff opens up to a chorus of, “they say you’re no-one, until you’re somebody to someone”. Glynne’s vocals are glorious as they celebrate being needed in love. Once the second verse builds, one thing is clear. Glynne is picking up from where she left off in I Cry When I Laugh, and that is so good to hear.
‘I’ll Be There’
The lead single from Always In Between and number 1 UK hit is one we’ve all heard before. Written on the last day of a writing trip to Sussex, Glynne has said that this track was penned with a close friend. “Camille, came down and started this idea based on stuff we’d been through–that we kind of got each other through over the past year. She been through this awful break up and like real low. She turned to my album, I Cry When I Laugh”. ‘I’ll Be There’ is a story of friendship.
‘Thursday’
“I won’t wear make-up on Thursday”, Glynne opens up acapella. This is a clear stand-out on Always In Between. The popstar focuses on self-care, “I just want to feel beautiful” she repeats. It’s raw, it’s simple, it’s relatable and she sounds flawless. An Ed Sheeran co-pen on this isn’t surprising… that man and his acoustic guitar are working wonders again. ‘Thursday’ has all the hallmarks of a single.
‘All I Am’
The second single from the album, and another top 10 hit, ‘All I Am’ can already be considered a success. Glynne breaks her silence “’cause I’ve had a few” to admit that “all I am, and all I know, is you”. The track is a feel-good admittance of love.
‘123’
The last track to be put out before the album release date, ‘123’ sees Glynne fed up of looking in the wrong places for love, returning to convince someone that she is the one for them.
‘Never Let Me Go’
Glynne brushes through the chorus of ‘Never Let Me Go’ with an electronic swish. This one’s real uplifting with huge potential for a remix to send it to club dance floors in seconds.
‘Broken’
Another stand-out on the record, ‘Broken’ shows Glynne as her most vulnerable. It’s the tale of her weakest moments and disbelief that a lover is able to still see the best in her. “It’s something that I’ll never know, how you can love someone that’s so broken” comes with a vulnerability that so almost draws a crack from that resilient voice.
‘Hate/Love’
A relationship in a different universe from ‘Broken’ takes centre stage in ‘Hate/Love’. Glynne struggles to move on from a past lover, reflecting on how love can turn into hate so quickly.
‘Won’t Say No’
“Tell me can you keep a secret” Glynne flirts to a finger-snap. ‘Won’t Say No’ is one of the simpler efforts on Always In Between but is a fun pursuit of love.
‘Rollin’
When Jess Glynne hits the road again, fans will love ‘Rollin’. It’s fun and funky as she stops the music to announce, “f**k your games, this ain’t the way I’m rolling”. The track snakes around its brass beats to the final chorus with a wink. It’s the Glynne trademark style at it’s most powerful and will make a mark on arenas.
‘Nevermind’
A track whose lyrics stand out the most, “with every fight I loved you just as hard, and I tried to stop you overthinking from the start”, Glynne reflects on where a relationship went wrong. The bridge of “every time your guns were blazing… every time you said you hate me, I laid by your side” has echoes of ‘Broken’, but now the script is flipped as it is Glynne picking her lover up.
‘These Days’
One of the tracks of the British summer, and another Number 1 single for Glynne, if you haven’t heard this you’ve been living under a rock. Macklemore’s soft, pondering rap, Dan Caplen’s strong rasp and Glynne’s covering of the chorus on top of Rudimental’s production… it was never not going to be a smash.
‘So Real’
Glynne’s voice features on Too Many Zooz’s ‘So Real’, and it makes its way onto Always In Between. It’s the odd one out on the album, the DJ’s house production the reason why. It’s a top-notch dance song and deserves to be included, but will catch listeners off guard.
‘Million Reasons’
No, this is not a Lady Gaga cover. “Say what’s on your mind but don’t say what you can’t take back”, Glynne warns as she searches for the one reason to ignore a million others to stay away from someone. It’s steady, with a superb brass baseline keeping the track ticking, but it’s clear the record is coming to end as proceedings slow down.
‘Insecurities’
The final track of Always In Between sees Jess Glynne in her feels again. “I need a thicker skin to let nobody in” she coos before reeling off the contradictory feelings of being, “free but fragile, happy but worried, settled but so afraid”. It’s just Glynne and a piano in a perfectly personal way to close off.
Jess Glynne’s Always In Between album is available to download and stream right now, through Atlantic Records.