Released: October 14
Betty Boo doesn’t miss a beat as she bounces back with ‘Boomerang’ – her first studio album in three decades.
The rapper rose to prominence back in 1989 when she teamed up with Beatmasters for Hey DJ / I Can’t Dance (To That Music You’re Playing) – their take on Martha Reeves & the Vandellas’ I Can’t Dance to That Music You’re Playin’ – before inking a deal with their label Rhythm King and launching a solo career of her own.
Scoring a pair of Top 10 smashes with Doin’ the Do’ and Where Are You Baby?, she attracted legions of fans with her playful rhymes and irresistible pop hooks, and 30 years later she’s back doing what she does best with a brand new, 12-track set.
Throughout her first two albums, ‘Boomania’ (1990) and ‘GRRR! It’s Betty Boo’ (1992), the hitmaker laced samples of classic recordings throughout her tracks, and in launching her new collection she steps back in time with Get Me To The Weekend – the opening track from ‘Boomerang’ – which features references The Human League’s Love Action (I Believe in Love).
It’s a nod to the past that touches on Betty Boo’s career beginnings while placing her sound firmly in 2022, with an overarching sense of nostalgia that’s in line with current chart trends.
Across the set, she draws inspiration from a plethora of musical styles, from nods to disco on the feelgood Shining Star to elements of indie rock on the David Gray collaboration Right By Your Side.
It’s one of a trio of collaborations on ‘Boomerang’, alongside the Chuck D-featuring single Miracle, which marks a full-circle moment for Betty Boo who attracted the attention of the Public Enemy star early in her career.
Highlighting her versatility as a true musical chameleon, she also enlists the help of Sophie Ellis-Bextor for a joyous duet version of Shining Star, that sits perfectly alongside more pop-oriented cuts such as Stop Your Nonsense (Bubblegum Pop) and the glorious title track Boomerang.
Thematically, much of the new LP centres on Betty Boo’s long awaited comeback and the record is packed with numerous self-referential moments, including the brilliant Nobody Can Bring Me Down verse: ‘Uh oh, this is how I roll / It’s the B-E-double-T-Y and the B and double O / Gonna stick around go back in your hole / Lose your mind cos it’s about to blow.’ Other tracks present an empowering narrative with a focus on self-confidence, love and acceptance, with cuts such as Superstar embracing diversity and championing the underdog: ‘If you got it flaunt it honey / You can be yourself / Got the starring role in my movie / Ain’t no one else’
Possibly the most contemporary sounding track on the LP, All I Wanna Do Is Dance is an all-out electronic jam that sees Betty Boo in full party mode: ‘Uno, dos, tres cuatro / Take an instagram photo / Everybody’s feeling loco.’
It’s one of several playful numbers that see her let loose and just have a good time, along with 808 and Never Too Late, both of which pay tribute to her love of music.
It comes to a head on album closer Hell Yeah!, which sees Betty Boo celebrate living in the moment as she fully embraces a comeback that’s been decades in the making.
It’s a joyous moment and one that comes not a day too soon, as she herself says: “I’ve made the record I should have made when I was 25.”
That in itself is what’s so perfect about ‘Boomerang’; when an artist returns after a long period away, you never know what to expect, but on her new collection the essence of Betty Boo is alive and well, and on hand to spread a little much-needed joy into the world today.
She’s having a good time, we’re having a good time – and we wouldn’t have it any other way!
‘Boomerang’ is available now.
