Album Review: Calvin Harris - 18 Months

9 November 2012 | 2:27 pm | Stuart Evans

And in typical Harris style, most of the choruses are so damn catchy you’ll be grooving and moving whether you like it or not.

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He's a busy boy is Monkey Harris. He's also something of a hit-making wonder machine as between him and fellow beatmaker David Guetta, the duo are probably the modern-day equivalent of the famous Stock, Aitken and Waterman music factory. Harris and Guetta make records that seemingly appeal to anyone and everyone – the last time that happened The Bee Gees were famous, and popular.

Like his recent singles, Harris' music is all over the place – a smorgasbord of variety that by and large hits the mark. Included on 18 Months are his trademark hits from the past year or so: the commercial gold We Found Love, featuring Rihanna, Bounce (with Kelis), Sweet Nothing (with the ever impressive and versatile Florence Welch from Florence & The Machine) and Drinking From The Bottle, an underrated track that features UK rapper Tinie Tempah in fine form. We'll Be Coming Back (featuring Example) appears and I Need Your Love (featuring Ellie Goulding) is a gem of a track destined to smash dancefloors and be hammered by the likes of Nova and Fox.

There's no doubt that Harris is a talented fellow. He's savvy in collaborating with the right people at the right time and although 18 Months isn't structured in any particular way, it's pure enjoyment and a collection of wicked, expectedly crafted yet relatively simple electronic music tracks. Harris is adaptable, flexible and probably doesn't get as much credit as he deserves compared to say, Guetta. Yet on this evidence he should.

And in typical Harris style, most of the choruses are so damn catchy you'll be grooving and moving whether you like it or not.

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