Rating *****
Released November 27th, 2020
No one could have predicted Steps’ 2017 comeback would be one of the biggest musical events of the 2010s, landing the ‘90s favourites back in the charts with their first (non-festive) studio album in 17 years.
After taking some time out to work on solo projects – following a deluxe album package and two sell-out tours – they’re finally back with new music… and it’s their best effort yet!
Kicking off the What The Future Holds campaign with the Sia-penned title track, the album is best defined by one line from that song: “One foot in the past and one foot in the future.”
From the tracks themselves to the vocal arrangements and contributions from each member, What The Future Holds is a massive leap forward, oozing with confidence and maturity while remaining quintessentially Steps.
There are bangers aplenty (Something In Your Eyes, To The Beat of My Heart, To The One), electronic mid-tempos (Clouds, Father’s Eyes, Under My Skin) and, of course, a trademark Steps ballad (Hold My Heart).
While What The Future Holds is slick, it flirts with the group’s beloved brand of pop fromage in all the right places – Heartbreak In This City, written by classic Steps collaborator Karl Twigg, is a sure-fire ‘80s throwback, while Come and Dance With Me harkens back to Summer of Love/Paradise Lost.
However, where the new LP differs from the original Steps trilogy – Step One, Steptacular and Buzz – is the division of vocals among members. Where Claire Richards used to be the leading voice of the band, on What The Future Holds, Faye Tozer, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Lisa Scott-Lee and Lee Latchford-Evans share the workload equally.
Most notably, Lisa kicks off a number of tracks, Lee finally gets his fair share of ‘blokals’ and Claire Richards’ belts are strategically arranged to lift each track – with Faye and H often alternating verses – resulting in an album that showcases Steps as a more unified band than ever before.
Fans of the last album beware – What The Future Holds isn’t back-to-back bangers. Instead, it’s a cohesive collection that plays to each of the members’ strengths and showcases the versatility of Steps as Britain’s premier pop group.
If Tears on the Dancefloor was Steps’ comeback, then What The Future Holds is a declaration that they’re here to stay. Moreover, it’s undoubtedly their most confident, polished release yet.
What The Future Holds is available on CD, pink vinyl, picture disc vinyl and individual member cassettes.
