Jade - That’s Showbiz Baby!

Angel of my Dreams; IT Girl; FUFN; Plastic Box; Midnight Cowboy; Fantasy; Unconditional; Self Saboteur; Lip Service; Headache; Natural Disaster; Glitch; Before You Break My Heart; Silent Disco.
(RCA)

Of all the former members of Little Mix, Jade Thirlwall appears to be the one who has produced the most compelling, distinctive, and successful music to date, which is confirmed on her new album, where she explores a diverse range of musical styles.

Opening track Angel of My Dreams became her debut single – a dreamy ballad that shows off her strong vocals. FUFN comes on fast and furious with a mix of Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga in the song and a lyric that details a drunken fight with a lover on a night out. Plastic Box's throbbing bass provides the foundation for a song that demands maximum volume.

Midnight Cowboy comes across as sounding like a Beyoncé cast-off, though things are quickly remedied with Fantasy. When the track was originally released as a single, the memorable and mesmerising song was performed on BBC2’s Later With Jools, which instantly cemented her status as a bona fide solo star in her own right. The track builds up into a crescendo with a strong grip like a vice that is unyielding and firm.

Natural Disaster, a theatrical number that echoes many a Billie Eilish song, the lyric could be about former Little Mix member Jesy Nelson, who left the group only to slate her ex-band members in public. “You were all snake, no ladders,” she sings.

The Supremes sample on Before You Break My Heart enhances her cover of the old Motown classic, which is now reborn here as a disco stomper.

Silent Disco closes the album on a hauntingly futuristic note; where Little Mix went for mainstream pop, Jade embraces a new direction where she reinvents herself successfully in a successful transition from group member to solo artist.