Katy B

Thirty minutes in to her third album, and Rinse’s leading lady has already danced her way through r’n’b, d’n’b, grime, house and garage vibes. A diverse snapshot of the state of the underground in 2016, ‘Honey’ is an energetic and youthful love letter to Katy B’s clubbing roots.

Slick opener ‘Honey’ boasts Kaytranada’s 90’s r’n’b-inflected production and lovelorn ballad ‘Who Am I’ forms an unlikely triple threat with Craig David and Major Lazer, while standout ‘So Far Away’ with Wilkinson is full of rave-ready d’n’b production. ‘Lose Your Head’, meanwhile, is a million miles away, with grimey bars from London MC’s D Double E and J Hus as Katy sings: “No one does it like me.” Who can argue with her? Despite a mammoth 21 collaborators, she’s in full creative control.

The second half of the LP is house-heavy: ‘Calm Down’, a collab with Four Tet and Floating Points, is packed with funk synths and a garage-infused rhythm, and ‘Dark Delirium’ is given a 4am-in-Fabric touch by Jamie Jones and Kate Simko. And then there’s the massive ‘Dreamers’, aided by Hannah Wants’ Ibiza-ready beats and Katy’s irresistible vocals.

It’s been two years since her last album, 2014’s ‘Little Red’, and according to Katy, ‘Honey’ is “a few things to remind people what I’m about.” Truthfully, though, she’s never been forgotten.