Little Red
by Katy B
  • Record Label: Columbia
  • Release Date: Feb 3, 2014
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 28
  3. Negative: 1 out of 28
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  1. The Telegraph (UK)
    Feb 3, 2014
    100
    Assured and still in thrall to the spinning lights, Little Red confidently and unpretentiously reflects Katy B’s transition from eager young clubber with a curfew to a mature young woman with a home of her own and the ability to hold a little something in reserve.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Feb 4, 2014
    88
    Rarely does a single album capture so much of what's right in a country's current moment in pop music.
  3. The Line of Best Fit
    Feb 7, 2014
    85
    Brien and Geeneus have turned in a finessed and involving convergence between dance and pop that mixes timeless songwriting with an energized and gutsy production.
  5. Q Magazine
    Feb 14, 2014
    80
    The singer hits new highs and broadens her pop horizons. [Mar 2014, p.118]
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  6. musicOMH.com
    Feb 10, 2014
    80
    While her debut On A Mission was a bold hashing-together of genres, equal parts R&B-feels and electro bombast, Little Red rides a comparatively low tidal ebb. But there’s more than enough here to suggest Katy B will be bringing the tunes a while yet.
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  7. Resident Advisor
    Feb 10, 2014
    80
    It always felt like the UK dance community was collectively cheering for Katy B's success, and Little Red shows how much she deserves it.
  8. Fact Magazine (UK)
    Feb 7, 2014
    80
    In short, this album holds together even better than On a Mission, and Katy B is still our best pop star.
  9. Rolling Stone
    Feb 4, 2014
    80
    Little Red showcases her vivid R&B songwriting over chic, chilly electro beats.
  10. Uncut
    Feb 3, 2014
    80
    Katy B weaves various threads of London clubland into glittering pop flax, and this second LP is a triumphant consolidation of her position as the voice of nocturnal youth. [Mar 2014, p.78]
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  11. DIY Magazine
    Feb 3, 2014
    80
    This time around, she delivers more of the same: tracks for the club with a sense of restraint and melancholy, as well as a poppy accessibility.
  12. Clash Music
    Feb 3, 2014
    80
    Little Red should rightly see Katy B cement her ascent to the stratosphere, joining the rest of dance music’s glitterati.
  13. The 405
    Feb 3, 2014
    80
    It's an assured album that utilises everything Katy B has going for her, from her love of clubbing to her BRIT School trained voice which is both bewitching and relatable.
  14. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Feb 25, 2014
    78
    Wether or not Little Red is better than On A Mission is up for debate; the former is a much more consistent and even listen, but the latter features much higher highs and lower lows.
  15. Pitchfork
    Feb 10, 2014
    78
    Little Red is not the best album it could have been--a few of the bonus tracks should have made the album proper--but Katy displays a vision for her career that suggests an exciting future.
  16. Consequence
    Feb 7, 2014
    75
    What she’s given us, here, is an album that sustains the energy of the party while prioritizing the real, complicated human feelings in the middle of it all. It’s quite something.
  17. AllMusic
    Apr 1, 2014
    70
    In the wake of crossover dance acts who scored after the success of On a Mission, Katy B remains in a class of her own.
  18. Slant Magazine
    Feb 18, 2014
    70
    Little Red allows Katy the chance to be afraid of her feelings, or at least afraid of being guided by them. And that happens a lot more often and is reflected by the contradictions between the message and the music.
  19. The Quietus
    Feb 18, 2014
    70
    While songs like '5AM' and 'Aaliyah' are very much made with mainstream dancefloors in their peripheral vision, much of the album, particularly some of the supplementary tracks, are still steeped very much in underground dance culture, and its in these moments that the album really excels.
  20. Spin
    Feb 11, 2014
    70
    The lack of a hefty, definable, or easily digestible pop overhaul here means that Little Red probably won’t hit America as hard as even its predecessor did. But it does feel like the natural progression of an artist whose narrative is so wholly and convincingly embedded in club life.
  21. Drowned In Sound
    Feb 4, 2014
    70
    Genuinely, it’s the lyrics that are stopping Little Red from being properly brilliant.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 49 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 49
  3. Negative: 0 out of 49
  1. andruzlopez
    Feb 4, 2014
    10
    yaaaas finally i've been waiting for this since 62636366 years ago. either way this is an amazing album, we've already started with the rightyaaaas finally i've been waiting for this since 62636366 years ago. either way this is an amazing album, we've already started with the right foot on music this year :D… Full Review »
  2. JotaBrasil
    Mar 3, 2014
    8
    Em um mar em que todos os peixes parecem exatamente os mesmos, quando aparece um que quebra a monotonia parece que houve uma revolução semEm um mar em que todos os peixes parecem exatamente os mesmos, quando aparece um que quebra a monotonia parece que houve uma revolução sem precedentes. Só que não foi nada disso, pois no final das contar um peixe sempre será um peixe. O que muda é que esse peixe apareceu no momento certo. Toda essa história de peixe é apenas para introduzir a resenha do álbum Little Red da britânica Katy B que mesmo não sendo a reinvenção da roda é o álbum certo que apareceu na hora certa.

    Lançado no começo do mês, o segundo trabalho de Katy B é um eficiente, adorável e divertido coleção de canções eletrônicas que consegue se destacar da multidão por ser simplesmente diferente dos demais. Começa pelo fato de Katy B ir muito mais além dos esquemas de composições "vamos festejar" que é, basicamente, 90% dos temas das canções pop/dance/eletrônico de hoje em dia. Não que Katy não recorra a esse tema em alguns momentos, mas a intensidade que é depositada nas letras. Katy consegue colocar sentimentos verdadeiros mostrando todas as suas facetas das sombrias e melancólicas até as românticas e divertidas. Há um cuidado elogiável na elaboração lexical e semântico das composições criando imagens bem definidas e refinadas. Dona de uma voz bem delicada, Katy faz o contraste perfeito entre a produção em performances originais dando um toque especial para cada faixa sem usar de efeitos que mascarem sua voz deixando tudo mais natural possível. A produção fica, praticamente toda, a cargo do desconhecido Geeneus. Little Red tem uma sonoridade bem elaborada que faz com que Katy consiga se diferenciar do resto. O eletrônico é tratado aqui de maneira madura o que dá para o CD uma cara mais complexa e artística em relação ao que se ouve por aí, mas o grande problema em Little Red é que faltou uma pimenta para dar um gosto especial. O trabalho, de uma maneira geral é ótimo, só que não é tão marcante como poderia ser devido a sua linearidade já que nenhuma música "salta" instantaneamente nos ouvidos. Contudo, para quem tiver o cuidado de ouvir Little Red deve-se apaixonar pelo mesmo, em especial, pelas faixas Crying for No Reason, All My Lovin', Aaliyah com a cantora Jessie Ware e I Like You. Mesmo não sendo o suprassumo do eletrônico, Katy B mostrou que é um peixe para ser observado e admirado.    … Full Review »
  3. RedOwlReviews
    Feb 21, 2014
    8
    Katy B's sophomore album "Little Red" is quite a treat. Her album has the dance pop stylings of Robyn, but with a voice more like a crossKaty B's sophomore album "Little Red" is quite a treat. Her album has the dance pop stylings of Robyn, but with a voice more like a cross between Paloma Faith and Beyoncé and instrumentals more like Disclosure - so it has to be good. However, despite its inherent danceability, "Little Red" can become tiresome to the ears due to its busy and somewhat shaky production value. At times, it lacks a motive dynamic, maintaining both sonic diversity and monotony at the same time. However, it is sprinkled with enough infectious hits like "5 AM," "Crying For No Reason," and "Sapphire Blue" to overshadow this shortcoming. Her lyrics and themes neatly compliment her sensually driven but equally confident and independent instrumentals. In short, "Little Red" is nothing to cause a ruckus in the art community or a standing ovation at the Grammy's, but as a fun dance pop album, it makes an appreciated statement.

    FINAL SCORE: 80 (great)    … Full Review »
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