Album of the Week: Rudimental We The Generation

After a week as overflowing with great new releases as last week, it's inevitable to feel let down by just a few good releases. As much of a drag as they can be, these down weeks are actually pretty important. If we were just under a constant barrage of top notch releases, we wouldn't appreciate them – it would become the norm. And we can't have that.

While there is nothing exactly thrilling out this week, creating a reliably enjoyable and solid album is not nothing, and that's exactly what Rudimental have done with their sophomore album, We The Generation.

The album follows the same pattern established by their excellent debut, Home. It's the same sound and vibe that you can hear coming from Disclosure, and Avicii (who also has a new album out this week, it's worth noting). What is the most interesting about We The Generation doesn't rely on most of the big names that the aforementioned bring in. For Americans, Ed Sheeran is the biggest name on the vocalists list, though Bobby Womack should be familiar to listeners who love great soul music.

Rudimental group members Piers Agget, Amir Amor, Kesi Dryden and DJ Locksmith (Leon Rolle) don't spend too much time on creating some massive single you're going to hear all over the radio. Instead the work they do on We The Generation is geared to creating a unified sound. That sound is a kind of soul-drenched EDM that is more for the ride home from the club, than hitting the dance floor. It sounds even better as the soundtrack to a party with just a few friends.

The best vocalists are Will Heard, who can do a damn convincing John Legend warble when he wants to, and Anne-Marie, who sounds amazingly like Amy Winehouse.

I doubt We The Generation is going to be anyone's favorite EDM this year, and it won't exactly live in your head after a few listens. But what it does, beautifully I might add, is carry you along on its pleasant tones. That Rudimental made an album that gets you from point A to B in a perfectly enjoyable way – well, I know plenty of artists who can't make the same claim.

We The Generation is out on Atlantic.  

Also recommended this week:

Autre Ne Veut's freak soul manifesto, the Age of Transparency.

Avicii's soul-infused sophomore album, Stories.

Joe Bonamassa live album and concert film, Live at Radio City Hall.

The Wood Brothers' bluegrass-folk medley, Paradise.