English singer-songwriter Louisa Rose Allen, better known by her stage name, Foxes, has returned with the release of her sophomore album, “All I Need,” Feb 5. Her latest album shows her development as a musician and points to where she is heading from here. Many of the songs are reflections of her trying to find her own path, and it is clear that she has done just that with this latest project.
“Body Talk” was the first single to appear in advance of the release of the whole album, and it is the strongest track of them all. This single has an undeniable pop fluidness to it and simultaneously has somewhat of an ’80s influence that is reminiscent of Pat Benatar during her heyday. “Body Talk” is full of high energy and gets people excited about letting go and experiencing new things.
Another song on the album, “Shoot Me Down,” is an exploration into the electronic genre, which her fans have seen her experiment with before when she collaborated with electric DJ Zedd on “Clarity” in 2012. This single allows her to explore that genre again, and it is refreshing to see her give it a shot once more.
With each song, it’s as though the listener is gradually peeling back the layers to discover more about Allen as an artist and as an individual. “All I Need” is a consistent record with each song flowing into the next. This sense of continuity definitely works well for Foxes. It is evident that she put much of herself into this latest project, and it displays the change of an artist who also finds herself in an industry that is constantly changing. She is additionally evolving alongside the music business, which has a reputation for being unforgiving.
As one might expect with a pop album, it has a bubble-gum feel to it and is happy, upbeat and yet also hopeful about what lies ahead for Foxes. This feeling of hope is explored in the single “If You Leave Me Now,” which has a gentle and sometimes guttural sound to it. There is an unmistakable sense of longing here as the artist is opening up and exposing her heart and soul for all to see and to sympathize with. “Better Love” contrasts in some ways to the previous track, given its fast-paced beat.
Most of all, this album serves as a reflection of where Allen is as a musician in her career. She is in the exploration stage of her musicianship, where she is finding her own path. It’s safe to say that her next album is likely to continue this exploration and be even stronger than “All I Need.” Compared to her previous album, this one truly demonstrates her artistry, a craft that seems to come naturally to Allen.
