It’s been a long twelve years since we last heard from Gossip, who took an extended time out in 2012 because, according to bandleader and powerhouse vocalist Beth Ditto, they "needed space to deal with our shit". The Arkansas trio have undergone quite the musical transformation since they emerged in 1999 as a riotous garage-punk act, ushering in a new era of empowering post-riot grrrl rock for a new millennium. Then, from 2006’s Standing In The Way of Control, Gossip shifted into a more experimental kind of dance-rock, nudging their way onto the fringes of the mainstream, before leaning more fully into pop with 2012’s A Joyful Noise.
This week, they make their very welcome comeback with Real Power, which sees them further pushing the boundaries of their style as they reunite with multi-genre super-producer Rick Rubin. Here, on their sixth studio album, Gossip add disco and funk influences into what was already a veritable melting pot of sounds, shored up by Ditto’s never-less-than-compelling vocals.
