Home is an excellent start for this ‘slashie’ bass music foursome, and they strike the balance of their multitude influences with effortless aplomb.

UK outfit Rudimental stormed charts everywhere with feel good hit ‘Feel The Love’ ft. John Newman in 2012, and after a string of equally successful follow up singles, we finally arrive at their debut album, ‘Home’. While there’s a smooth mix of influences at play, the fact they have brought drum‘n’bass back into the spotlight is no mean feat, given that distant relative dubstep stole the show for a little while there.

Melding soul, R&B, funk and DnB sensibilities, there are some truly stand out moments here, although the record does suffer from a slight case of rinse and repeat syndrome here and there – ‘Powerless’ ft. Becky Hill doesn’t stand out anywhere near as much as album closer ‘Free’ featuring the gutsy vocals of Emeli Sande (who also appears on ‘More Than Anything’).

The lo-fi buzz of ‘Spoons’ featuring MNEK and Syron is an understated gem that might not have the brash, two-step fury that dominates most of the other tracks, but holds its ground with its restrained, ultra smooth grooves.

Elsewhere, ‘Hide’ ft. Sinead Harnett features a sultry horn refrain and a deceptively dark bassline; its insistent throb surfaces just enough to make you feel its presence before giving way to a curiously palatable mesh of garage/soul influences.

For all its commercial success, ‘Waiting All Night’ ft. Ella Eyre is undeniably one of the biggest tracks on ‘Home’; the perfect marriage of underground sounds with the bombast and euphoric drama of a truly good pop song. Eyre’s soaring vocals are among the strongest of the well-curated guests on this record.

*** and a half stars out of five

BY MARISSA DEMETRIOU

Home is out now on Asylum Records.

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