Bananarama - Masquerade (The Unmasked Edition) (2023) [Hi-Res]

When Bananarama returned with 2019's In Stereo, it was their first release in ten years. It also followed an elaborate reunion tour with the long-departed Siobhan Fahey that briefly reinstated the group to its original trio format. While Fahey didn't stick around, bandmates Keren Woodward and Sarah Dallin sounded invigorated, if not particularly innovative on their comeback album. Three years later, the duo offers Masquerade, another tightly crafted platter that fits soundly within their Euro dance-pop wheelhouse. Working again with Ian Masterson who produced this album's predecessor, Woodward and Dallin initially planned to record an EP, but when sessions were interrupted by the global pandemic, they continued writing an album's worth of songs. Of these 11 tracks, the lead-off cut, "Favourite," is practically worth the price of admission on its own. What's more, the infectious dark-hued synth pop banger folds another generation into Bananarama's sound, having been written by Sarah Dallin's daughter, Alice Dallin-Walker, better known as Alice D. A second Alice-penned track, "Brand New," appears later in the album to slightly lesser results, while the remaining nine are Woodward-Dallin (with the help of Masterson) originals, several of which are quite good. With pulsing rhythms and growling synths, songs like "Stay Wild," "Running with the Night," and the title track ring with strong melodies and a kind of lush Y2K pop aesthetic that works for the band. The more '80s-driven "Forever Young" is another standout among what is a reliably solid late-period set from a pair of pop icons.© Timothy Monger /TiVo