On a Mission was eagerly anticipated and didn't disappoint. A creative synthesis of underground club sounds and pop, fronted by a seriously skilled and charismatic singer and songwriter who detailed scenes relatable to her generation, it was glowingly reviewed and almost topped the U.K. chart. Almost three years later,
Katy B follows it with another intense set that features another round of collaborations with producer
Geeneus. Though the supple midtempo gem "Tumbling Down" and gracefully walloping
Joker co-production "All My Lovin'" are definite highlights, the album is greatly enhanced by the one-off pairings, including the rigid house track "I Like You" (
George FitzGerald), the fluttering charmer "Play" (
Sampha), and the swooning "Sapphire Blue" (
Jacques Greene), where
Katy delivers fairly standard lines about being swept away but makes them sound novel with an entrancing level of passion. The album is oddly sequenced, opening with a pair of cuts that are merely adequate, no match for the debut's one-two jolt. Those are followed by an inferior and drastically shortened mix of "Aaliyah," a midtempo duet with
Jessie Ware -- regarding the envy of a woman who just happens to have the same name as the late R&B star -- originally released on a 2012 EP. Part elegantly drifting ballad, part breathless drum'n'bass track "Emotions" would have made for an excellent finale, yet it's trailed by "Still," a fine but relatively weak way to end the album. More baffling, most of the deluxe edition bonus tracks don't merely deserve to be on the standard edition -- they'd be highlights. Even with its faults,
Little Red has too much going for it to be considered a second-album slump. In the wake of crossover dance acts who scored after the success of
On a Mission,
Katy B remains in a class of her own. ~ Andy Kellman