Gabrielle Alpin: Phosphorescent – An album of two halves

There was once a time when Gabrielle Aplin was best known for soundtracking a John Lewis Christmas ad. Now that 10 years (and three albums) have passed since the English musician’s sombre take on Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s The Power of Love, it’s safe to say that she has moved on.

The 30-year-old’s fourth album comes frustratingly close to being excellent, but amid the pleasant filler of songs such as dreamy mid-tempo ballad Skylight and the lilting 1990s-influenced pop balladry of Anyway and Good Enough – think Natalie Imbruglia and Lisa Loeb, rather than Aqua and Spice Girls – there are some sparkling examples of her songwriting capabilities.

You could easily imagine Girls Aloud singing the sultry, synthy, killer chorus of Take It Easy; there is a sense of musical theatre to the construction of Call Me, with its Carole King-esque piano melody, while the folky strum of Half In Half Out recalls 1970s artists such as The Carpenters.

It’s an album of two halves: either inconsistent or enjoyably varied, depending on where you stand. Even so, between the lovelorn lyrical cliches and throwaway songs such as Wish I Didn’t Press Send (“You should have left it on read/ I really meant what I said when I was sober and I was happy that it came to an end”), there are some really promising songs and several glimpses of Aplin’s talent as a songwriter. gabrielleaplin.com