Paloma Faith - Infinite Things (RCA Records)

If you have tickets to see Paloma Faith on tour next autumn you are in for a treat - if the show is based around this strong return.

Older and wiser, the 14 songs on the album, her fifth - all showcase her powerful voice without losing any of her strong personality. Mind you, on the opening track 'Supernatural' you could be forgiven for thinking you have put on an old Cyndi Lauper or T’Pau album. Retro sounding it is, taking the listener back to the 1980s.

Things sound more contemporary on 'Monster' with a modern production which continues on 'Gold' which has been co-written with Sigrid; a gospel chorus comes in towards the end of the song which has more hooks than a Whitby fisherman has in his nets. That undercurrent runs throughout the album with those hooks coming back to haunt you long after you have heard the songs.

Besides the out and out pop numbers 'Better Than This' is a big ballad "the truth of it, it doesn’t get better than this” she sings over a track that is helped with some more emotive strings.

On 'Me Time' the strings are there from the word go, but the track sounds more like a Katy Perry song than Paloma Faith. It could be any mainstream female singer from the last five years, it is a cracking song though. “I need some dreamtime, I need just need a little me time,” which probably refers to the spring lockdown.

A simple piano underpins the haunting 'If Loving You Was Easy', one of the best tracks on the album. You know straight away this is Paloma Faith. There is a clean version and the explicit version of the song, the latter lets her rip out her frustration on a relationship that has gone off the boil.

The phasing she uses on 'Beautiful and Damned', on the verses is straight from Victoria Monet, though this is no R&B track, but it does hark back to Prince around his 'Purple Rain' days.

'Living With A Stranger' again details a relationship gone wrong. With her second child along the way she seems to be doing ok herself.

The album closes with 'Last Night on Earth' again with the Victoria Monet phrasing on the opening verse until the song builds into a powerful chorus.

Yes, it’s definitely more mature than her other albums, but in the process it seems that they have compromised her style slightly. If you are a fan though you will not be disappointed.

I rate the album 3 out of 5.