It’s 25 years since Gabrielle scored a No 1 with her first single, Dreams (“can come true …”), virtually the story of her mercurial rise from bullied working-class black south Londoner with an eye condition to one of the 50 wealthiest women in the UK. Her career was subsequently derailed when a former boyfriend beheaded his stepfather and the tabloids descended, but by then she’d already scored another chart-topper (Rise in 2000), before eventually stopping music altogether to concentrate on motherhood.
Her first album in 11 years makes it seem as if she never went away. The glossy pop-soul production is familiar and Show Me (“Believe in me. You know I’ll never let go”) is as catchy as her smashes. Put Up a Fight and the aspirational Won’t Back Down ooze pride, determination and, occasionally, platitudes. Stronger (“What makes you stronger will hurt the most”) or Young and Crazy (“Turn your dark nights into sunshine”) would be self-help manual material if they weren’t so passionately, sincerely sung.
Elsewhere, Under My Skin delivers a glut of warm if slightly syrupy love songs. Thank You is refurbished 70s soul. Every Step offers sisterly advice (“It’s time to walk away, you really shouldn’t stay … don’t be afraid”). Songwriter-producers Ian Barter (Amy Winehouse/Paloma Faith) and Steve Chrisanthou (Corinne Bailey Rae) sprinkle in some contemporary R&B but while more grit in the butter wouldn’t have gone amiss, Under My Skin returns to the sound that made Gabrielle famous.
