Having transformed her sound with 2017's empowered
Life. Love. Flesh. Blood, Ireland's
Imelda May continues her bold artistic metamorphosis with her sixth studio album, 2021's
11 Past the Hour. At turns dusky and ebullient,
11 Past the Hour builds nicely upon
May's past work as she continues to move away from the twangy retro-rockabilly of her early years and fully embrace the anthemic, yet still organic pop/rock she showcased on
Life. Love. Flesh. Blood. Co-produced by
Tim Bran (
James Morrison,
London Grammar), the album finds
May joined by an elite cadre of special guests, all of whom add their distinctive pop charisma to the proceedings. Early in her career,
May's vintage-inspired
Chuck Berry-esque rock caught the ear of
Rolling Stones guitarist
Ronnie Wood, who then brought her on tour with him in 2019. Here,
Wood continues the goodwill, applying his crunchy electric guitar riffs to several tracks, including "Just One Kiss," a very
Stonesy duet with another special guest,
Oasis'
Noel Gallagher.
Wood also plays on "Made to Love" a soulful pop anthem featuring backing vocals by noted women's rights activists
Gina Martin and
Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu. That
May, who has worked on charities dealing with homelessness and domestic abuse, chooses to spotlight two nonprofessional singers with strong activist voices speaks to the deeper messages at play in her work here. Equally uplifting is "Don't Let Me Stand on My Own," a folky and soulful Celtic duet with singer
Niall McNamee that brings to mind
Rod Stewart's '70s work with the
Faces.
May also brings along
Last Shadow Puppets'
Miles Kane for the wicked,
Berlin-esque post-punk anthem "What We Did in the Dark." Thankfully, none of the guest choices seem overly calculated and primarily feel like natural additions to the album. Furthermore, while the duets are a highlight,
May's solo work also shines here as she delves into the
Johnnie Ray-meets-
Portishead-sounding title track and proves her diva mettle on the rousing piano ballad "Diamonds." With
11 Past the Hour,
May has crafted a generous, collaborative album that feels like she's lifting others up, just as they are lifting her. ~ Matt Collar
![Pieces of You [Deluxe]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0888072158665_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Pieces of You [Deluxe]")
