It’s a little gauche and though it doesn’t quite sink the song, it does raise questions about Peppa’s taste. “Adventures” relies heavily on a fiddle riff that recalls, or perhaps revives, the heyday of Mumford & Sons, the Lumineers, and Edward Sharpe. Like her contemporary Lorde’s “ Solar Power,” the song throws off the past year’s miseries and flies through life with every pore open. Similarly expansive is the opener and title track, “Peppa’s Adventures,” a celebration of the natural world. On the bridge, she assumes the role of coach and leads her backing singers in rhythmic cheering. A tribute to sport in a fraught Olympic year, it moves with the grand air of Taylor Swift’s “State of Grace.” Chimes and brassy horns abound, but Peppa, a nimble vocalist, ably holds her own. Lead single “Bing Bong Champion” is an ambitiously maximalist shot across the bow at those who called My First Album a Sarah Records retread. Yet Peppa’s Adventures is most compelling when Peppa departs from her standard chamber-pop formula. “I’d fly to space if I had wings,” she sings, her voice a near-whisper, “and play with George on Saturn’s rings.” The lullaby’s verses, written in iambic tetrameter, demonstrate a gift for poetic construction well beyond her years. Loveliest of all is “North Star Lullaby” Peppa wrote the elegant, understated song for her 2-year-old brother, George. ![]() Bull” turns the inconvenience of road construction into an exhilarating block party. ![]() “Perfect Day” celebrates the simple pleasures of friendship, particularly poignant after more than a year of social distancing. She’s adept at mining the mundane stuff of suburban life for glittering moments of camaraderie. Reaching further into pop’s past, she interpolates British and American folk music on the cheery “The School Bus Song” and the contemplative “Winter Days.” The traditionalist approach to production pairs well with Peppa’s efficient songwriting. She hews closely to this formula throughout Peppa’s Adventures, particularly on the wistful “Perfect Day” and on “Recycling,” which evokes Fiona Apple in its percussive use of glass bottles and tin cans. On My First Album, Peppa made a careful study of Brian Wilson’s sunny melodies and progressive pop structure.
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