Real Power

Gossip

Released on 3/22/24 by Columbia Local
Main artists: Gossip
Genre: Pop

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Real Power is Gossip's first album in 12 years, when singer Beth Ditto walked away to launch a solo career, act, start a clothing line and model. She has admitted to needing a break, but that "in the music industry you're not allowed to have that. So you end up making things you don't like. You become a product." Indeed, Gossip's last record, A Joyful Noise, felt a bit phoned-in after the hurricane force of their mid-aughts, indie sleaze-defining output. Now, the band is recharged, but bearing battle scars—Ditto divorced her wife, who she had been with since she was 18; lost her father; and fell out of sorts with co-founder and guitarist Nathan "Brace Paine" Howdeshell after he became a born-again Christian. The two have repaired their relationship and, along with drummer Hannah Blilie, they're not just re-treading the same old ground. For one thing, producer Rick Rubin—a Buddhist and Transcendental Meditation devotee who can rock out with the best of them—was a fascinating choice to oversee their comeback, and Ditto has said he brought a needed calm and peace to the proceedings. That does not mean boring. Songs like "Tough" and "Don't Be Afraid" feel stripped down and vulnerable compared to old Gossip records; that's not to say stark, but the air shifts to allow Ditto to bare a tender, Freda Payne-esque side. "Crazy Again" is subdued but with sunny guitar and a great kick-in, as Ditto seems to sing about finding love after divorce: "Don't invite me home/ I'm fragile at the moment/ Heart of glass." "Turn the Card Slowly," meanwhile, feels haunted—its edgy, lone-wolf guitar line tracking lines such as "Is it the last time?/ Was it the first time?/ Your love is a swinging door"; it's like a transmission from some alternate Stevie Nicks universe. "Edge of the Sun" is velveteen dance-floor pop, "Give It Up for Love" plays with New Wave disco, and "Light It Up" applies a sing-song melody to emo-pop mid-tempo balladry. "Act of God" is an absolute fearless delight: a thick slab of Motown soul set to cheeky organ and a great galloping rhythm, conjuring wild horses tromping across a landscape. And the title track sounds like revolution via the revelation that it's not enough just to make a difference in an insular community. Accompanied by cool funk guitar and buzzy synth, Ditto sounds every bit the soul diva as she declares "Rhythm in my blood, my heart is pounding … I want real power." © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

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Real Power

Gossip

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Act Of God