After the disco heights of her previous album, it was inevitable that "Hit Parade" would be a return to the esoteric side of Róisín Murphy's music. This record is a collaboration with DJ Koze that lands somewhere between soul and electronic mayhem. Like most of her other albums, I bought a signed copy of the vinyl when it was released.
I might as well say upfront that I don't like this record. The first track "What Not To Do" is a great intro with rumbling synths and rattling percussion underpinning Róisín's impeccable vocals; but everything goes down hill from here.
There's a big soul influence on these tracks and many of them include samples of old records. This approach produces a unique sound, but unfortunately, it is not a sound I appreciate.
"Free Will" has some overt disco references that cause some mild excitement and the single "You Knew" has a tinge of dub that elevates it above the mundane, but everything else is a disappointment. "Can't Replicate" sounds like it is about to break out into Lil Louis "French Kiss" but it never hits despite running for seven and a half minutes. I still feel very disappointed with this record and the sleeve freaks my kids out - so I think it will stay hidden on the shelf for quite some time. 1/5
