Last year, Blue informed me that they’d be releasing a 10-track album with 10 hit songs. They also claimed that this album, which we now know as “Roulette”, would not feature their Eurovision hit “I Can”. Well, they lied!
“Roulette” is actually a 15-track album that boasts five potential mega hits including their ESC single. That being said, it also contains an equal number of auto-tuned fillers. This is their fourth studio album in their 13-year career. It’s their most mature effort, and clearly a move in the right direction. The harmonies work well, and Lee Ryan’s falsetto elevates some of the radio sounding ballads, giving it much-needed spunk.
This new project was trialled in Asia during a series of promotional concerts. It was a huge success. Now the boys are hoping to replicate that in Europe. Germany, Italy and Austria are responding well to the album release, and it’s hoped that this will set the tone for a ground-breaking homecoming season in the U.K. Standout tracks on the album include “Without You”, “Hurt Lovers”, “I Can”, “We’ve Got Tonight”, and “Paradise”.
The official video of “Hurt Lovers”:
Some of the other tracks on the album have compromised Blue’s identity in favour of the current commercial sound. Cue “Sing For Me”. It sounds like a continuation of Nikki Minaj’s “Starships” vocalised by American male pop stars. It has the potential to dent the charts, but it’s likely to fade quickly from memory.
Fortunately other tracks avoid this fate. It’s great news that Blue have stuck together post-Eurovision. That in itself deserves the record-buying public’s support. In addition to that, “Roulette” is a good album with enough variation to appeal to a broad catchment of music lovers.
Rating: 3.5/5
Risk It All is my favorite song on Roulette.
@Scott, We’re lucky to have I CAN on the album. No one expected it after their interview.
I was really disappointed they never re-recorded I can with the arrangement of the live ESC version.