Stealing Sheep - Big Wows

The third album from the Liverpudlian trio of Rebecca Hawley (keyboards), Emily Lansley (guitars and bass) and Lucy Mercer (drums) is another harmony-filled, hook-laden collection of effervescent pop. Their songs are full of bubbly keyboards, the occasional quirky melody (‘Back In Time’), and an ‘80s-tinged affection for the dancefloor (cf., ‘Jokin’ Me’)!

     ‘Girl’ has the kinetic energy of an arcade on a Friday night, punctuated by an infectious beat Thomas Dolby fans will drool over, but then the gals slow things down for the warm, dreamy ballad ‘Just Dreaming’, a welcome breather and change of pace from the preceding glitter and glitz. The funky title track has a booty-shaking Motown groove that loses momentum with a needlessly aimless midsection that zaps all its energy and ‘Breathe’ is too much Beyoncé candy for my taste, but the Madonna-esque ‘True Colours’ recovers nicely. While there is a sameness to some of the tunes, their unabashed energy and melodic sense pushes me over to the thumbs up side of the fence.