Ellie Goulding
Delirium
(Polydor)
Two and a half stars
Delirium is the sound of an artist treading in her comfort zone, while groping through the stratosphere for superstardom.
The album’s bloated 16 tracks (a whopping 25 on the deluxe edition) overlook Goulding’s folky roots and shave the edge off her more brazen EDM experiments in favour of a pure pop approach.
Delirium's aspirations for airplay are worn like a badge of honour. At least the extended 90-minute runtime explains what Goulding has been up to since 2012's Halcyon. Like in all pop, matters of the heart remain Goulding's preoccupation.
Something In the Way You Move courts a dance-floor seduction. Don't Need Nobody, with its minimal R&B groove, could have been written the next morning. First single On My Mind – Goulding's witty-ish response to Ed Sheeran's put-down Don't – captivates the listener's voyeuristic tendencies.
Nothing trumps the dewy-eyed ballad Love Me Like You Do, from the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack. It's all so sleekly efficient there's not one track you couldn't imagine on Virgin Radio. But five minutes later, whether you will remember who was singing is less clear.
rgarratt@thenational.ae