Released: August 12
It’s Eurodance anthems like Total Eclipse Of The Heart, For All We Know and Te Amo that Nicki French is best known for, but on her latest album the vocalist segues through a plethora of sounds and styles in a showcase of her impressive versatility.
Six years since she released her last album ‘Glitter To The Neon Lights’ (2018), on which dance was a consistent through line, her latest effort is her most pop-leaning to date, touching upon a sonic spectrum that characterises the genre over the decades and touches upon various points of inspiration that have influenced the performer throughout her 30+ years in the music business.
The 12 songs on ‘Who, What, Where?’ feature the singer on all lead and backing vocals, with stacked harmonies arranged to perfection and spotlighting French’s range and power.
Nodding to the past, the title track and an electrified cover of Josefin Nilsson’s High Hopes & Heartaches are most in line with her biggest hits, while the ABBA-leaning Nothing Is Impossible and Tender Surrender bear echoes of her Eurovision classic Don’t Play That Song Again.
Elsewhere, the album touches upon Motown on S.O.S. (Same Old Story) and Stay Off Of My Wave, while the epic ballad Dare sits at the centre of the record and allows French to let loose on one of her finest performances yet. Similarly, a synth-led rendition of Melissa Manchester’s Two Courageous Hearts is among the strongest moments on the album, taking her sound in a new and fresh direction.
With singles from the LP dating back to 2020, tracks like Haunted Heart and a faithful remake of Donna Summer’s Last Dance will be familiar to fans of the performer, while a pivot to pop that was hinted at on her previous LP and is an overarching theme here may more divisive for those that became hooked on her ‘90s classics.
Performance- and production-wise, ‘Who, What, Where?’ is a solid pop record with a handful of tracks that rise above the fray and signpost a clear direction for the singer moving forward.
In its diversity there’s the occasional lull, but three decades on from her global breakthrough there’s plenty here to prove Nicki French has still got it.
