It may have been a dreary summer in the UK so far, but not on Island 54: the mythical setting for Birmingham-born rapper/singer Stefflon Don’s long-awaited debut album seems to perpetually exist at a balmy 30 degrees. It is a quintessential summer record that uses dancehall as a base from which to explore all manner of global sounds, from grime to the South African dance style amapiano – an inescapable sound at summer parties for the past few years – to electropop to Punjabi rap.
A stylistic grab-bag? Sure, but Island 54 benefits from crisp, stylish production and the knowledge that all anyone wants to listen to in the dog days of summer is a seamless, varied playlist that you can slap on repeat. Introspective cuts like the darkly toned ballad Dem Evil nestle in easily alongside the doe-eyed, lovestruck amapiano cut Control and sensuous Afrobeats tracks like What’s Poppin and Desire.
The album is long, but Stefflon Don is a flexible MC; she sounds like the third member of D-Block Europe when she adopts a fleet-footed, Auto-Tuned flow on Madam Moiselle, a collaboration with the hyped London duo, and sounds appropriately seething alongside late Punjabi star Sidhu Moose Wala on Dilemma.
As far as debut albums go, Island 54’s confidence shines through.
