VV Brown back. For good?

Two years ago, when every pop blog on the planet was going doo-lally about VV Brown, I held my tongue. Crying Blood and Shark In The Water were good singles, but too self-consciously kerrrrr-azy for me. The retro doo-wop beats, frenetic vocals and over-styled hairpieces made VV come across like Amy Winehouse on bad drugs, before that sounded like an criminally insensitive thing to say.

My reticence was somewhat justified: Despite a main stage performance at Glastonbury and critical adulation from the likes of Roger Daltrey and Damon Albarn, VV's album slipped down the walls of the top 40 faster than pudding batter.

But times change, people change, fashions change, property values depreciate and Bruce Forsyth defies the black hand of death. Now, after an extended period of silence, VV Brown is back for a second bite of the pop pie - and this time she's got new, improved dentures.

Her second album Lollipops and Politics is due next year - but the first single has just been released. Called Children, it's a crunchy R&B biscuit that's simultaneously more formulaic and more listenable than anything she's put out before. I can't proclaim that this is heading for number one with a bullet (or even a laser pen) but it's good to see an artist being allowed to develop and mature for once. You thoughts?

VV Brown - Children (ft Chiddy Bang)

Tweet