Album Review: Language by MNEK

Where these singles and 2015's Small Talk EP were wrapped in the drama and intensity of the club, Language is satisfyingly expansive, exploring the connection between communication and physicality in contemporary queer relationships. Firstly, bravura single "Correct" establishes MNEK as an elder statesman of pop, ready to take the crown he has earned: "The wait is over… I flex like Aretha / So show me some respect. " It's an apt opening statement for an album that deftly demonstrates his mastery of pop forms, both lyrically and musically.

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This is a moving and important - and fun! - record that proves MNEK is the pop star we need in 2018 MNEK's debut album has been a long time coming - something he addresses early on 'Language'. On the Latin-tinged 'Correct', he declares, "Get with the finesse, that a king like me possess / Everybody’s asking why they haven’t heard my album yet". It’s with good reason, however, that MNEK's kept his avid stan base waiting: the 23-year-old South Londoner has been mad busy for the past decade.

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MNEK has spent the last few years collaborating with and writing for an array of global stars, but so far hasn't hit A-list in his own right. There's early evidence on this long-in-the-works debut that he isn't taking it to heart; 'Background', the skit that opens 'Language', has two girls arguing over the correct pronunciation of his name, with one claiming to love his work and the other oblivious. He was tipped for the top as far back as 2014, but found more success with the likes of Disclosure, Zara Larsson and, eventually, Beyoncé behind-the-scenes rather than as a soloist.

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Super-songwriter MNEK spreads his wings on solo debut 'Language', allowing his personality to shine through on an impeccably-produced album that has its fair share of irresistible pop-dance tracks. Across streaming platforms, Uzoechi Osisioma Emenike aka MNEK, asks that 'Language' be listened to "from start to finish." Of course, that's how albums should be listened to anyway, but this one certainly benefits from a front-to-back listen thanks to seamless transitions and a narrative that imitate's MNEK's journey out from the shadows of the studio, and into the limelight as a solo artist. Hues of latin, house and glitch don't distract from the 'Language' that MNEK really speaks - pop.

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U zoechi Emenike is 23, but first signed a publishing deal at the age of 14. The south Londoner has written for Madonna, Kylie and Beyoncé, and hauled home barrowloads of chart placings and awards while impatience grew for his own album. He's perfectly poised, but a false step now might be fatal. Thankfully, MNEK, he is at pains to remind us on his solo debut, doesn't make false steps; he's far too assiduous a scholar of prime pop production - Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the Neptunes, Teddy Riley - to slip up.

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U zoechi Emenike is best known for his Top 10-scaling duets with more famous artists including Stormzy and the Swedish singer Zara Larsson. It's a state of affairs the musician is immediately keen to flag up and rectify on his debut album. The cringey but admittedly memorable opener Background is half moody electro track, half skit revealing the right way to pronounce his moniker (it's emin-e-kay), before Correct delivers an onslaught of camp braggadocio outlining why listeners should respect the south Londoner as a solo proposition.

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