Lady Sovereign: Jigsaw

Jigsaw takes some steps away from the grime sound, though a solid half of the album is still dedicated to the hiccupy, guttural style. Tracks like “Bang Bang,” “Pennies,” and “I Got You Dancing” do right by the genre’s frenetic dance energy, though there’s little to distinguish them from the tracks that flared and flamed out so quickly three years ago. More interesting—though more intermittently successful—are Lady Sovereign’s forays into singing, with results reminiscent of another cheeky Brit, Lily Allen. “Singing” is perhaps generous, but to Sov’s credit, she seems to recognize her limitations and sticks to simple sing-speak hooks rather than going crazy with the AutoTune. (Still, the oh-so-flat “Guitar” could have benefited from a little knob-twiddling.) The Cure-sampling “So Human” is the album’s high point, combining a newfound introspective slant with Sovereign’s bouncy flow and cynical sense of humor.

That sense of humor is still her strongest asset, and Jigsaw fits in plenty of zingers, especially on “Student Union,” a goofy dis of college bars. Yet sometimes the 23-year-old’s limited worldview becomes a little too apparent—as in a verse about Facebook—and the pitch-shifted tomfoolery of “Food Play” crosses the line into novelty. It all combines into a sophomore effort that distinguishes itself on occasion, but doesn’t portend Sov’s second coming.