5/10

While Emeli Sande certainly made a name for herself with her 2012 debut album 'Our Version Of Events', she definitely didn't make it easier for herself when it came to making a follow-up. 'Our Version Of Events' was the biggest selling album in the UK in 2012 and still comfortably sits in the top 10 selling records of the decade so far. So with that in mind, the next chapter was always going to be a steep climb and it seems that Sande may have missed the mark this time around.

What made her such a interesting voice to begin with was her genuine disposition to the music that inspired her. Her debut album was a rich cacophony of gospel inspired works that easily translated to a contemporary pop audience. Yet while much of 'Long Live The Angels' tries to stick to this dynamic, radio-friendly singles such as 'Hurts' reek of record label interference and almost completely destroy the harmony that Sande has tried to recreate this time around.

Rather than seeing her raw self on her sophomore full-length, instead we hear a fractured artist trying a whole mix of ideas in the hope that something may stick in people's minds after the record has finished. The result is a middle-of-the-road release that lacks the fire and tenacity of her first effort.