Arriving in 2018, The Last King of Pop collects 21 songs from the first three decades of Paul Heaton's recording career, including his time with the beloved U.K. alternative pop bands the Housemartins and the Beautiful South, and through his third album with Jacqui Abbott (2017's Crooked Calypso). To sweeten the pot, it also includes two newly recorded tracks. Known for his playful, very often sardonic lyrics, the songwriter seems to poke fun at himself here, opening a record with such a self-aggrandizing title with a song ...
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Arriving in 2018, The Last King of Pop collects 21 songs from the first three decades of Paul Heaton's recording career, including his time with the beloved U.K. alternative pop bands the Housemartins and the Beautiful South, and through his third album with Jacqui Abbott (2017's Crooked Calypso). To sweeten the pot, it also includes two newly recorded tracks. Known for his playful, very often sardonic lyrics, the songwriter seems to poke fun at himself here, opening a record with such a self-aggrandizing title with a song that features someone else on lead, the Jacqui Abbott vehicle "I Gotta Praise." Taking the form of a career-long playlist set on shuffle, from there the collection alternates between decades and projects, with no one incarnation of Heaton appearing back-to-back until the final two exclusive tracks. Necessarily omitting fan favorites with dozens of charting singles under his belt and limited slots here, the Housemartins selections include the hit "Happy Hour" but not their U.K. number one "Caravan of Love." In the case of the Beautiful South, it does include Top Three hits like the group's 1989 debut single "Song for Whoever" and 1998's "Perfect 10," though their sole number one, "A Little Time," while present, takes the form of a re-recorded version with Abbott replacing Briana Corrigan. The song is also transformed from a country-inflected conversation to a rollicking '50s rock ditty. The Heaton-Abbott duets from the 2010s are well-represented, making up more than a third of the track list. Not technically a greatest hits, or even very representative of his career, The Last King of Pop includes only one song from Heaton's three solo albums ("Poems" is taken from 2001's Fat Chance, which was recorded under the alias Biscuit Boy). However, what becomes clear and even emphasized by its jaunty final track, the original song "7" Singles," is that it was curated with an emphasis on "pop." As a set of uptempo Heaton songs that leaves the more poignant and sparer tunes behind, this one's a pleaser, with no harm done setting it on shuffle. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi
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