Nobody can ever accuse Christine And The Queens of resting on his laurels. Following last year’s theatrical but ultimately disappointing Redcar experiment, Chris’ latest project is a sprawling triple concept album inspired by Tony Kushner’s iconic play, Angels In America, in which he explores his “personal history of loss”, including the end of a romantic relationship and the death of his mother.

For this latest musical journey, Chris has enlisted the help of super-producer and synth master, Mike Dean, who is best known for his work in the hip-hop genre, as well as a couple of stellar guest performers, including some spoken word from Madonna and rapper 070 Shake.

The result is a mammoth 20 tracks, split into three Acts (Paranoia, Angels, True Love). When it’s good, it’s often incredible, from the beautiful string-laden ‘Full Of Life’, to the stunning ‘Tears Can Be So Soft’, which samples Marvin Gaye’s ‘Feel My Love Inside’. The latter also boasts hypnotic vocals and sumptuous strings, making for a beguiling five minutes that channels the cinematic spirit of Massive Attack.

Other highlights include the staccato rhythms of ‘Marvin Descending’; the hypnotic ‘Aimer Puis Vivre’; the soaring ‘Big Eye’; and the anthemic and joyous ‘Lick The Light Out’.

Sometimes, however, Chris’ ambition exceeds the end-product. The 11-minute ‘Track 10’ is a little too sprawling, while ‘Let Me Touch You Once’ – which features a spoken word appearance from Madonna as an “angelic AI presence” – is a little heavy on concept and light on listenability.

Nonetheless, this is an ambitious and frequently superb effort.

Score: 8/10
Listen: ‘Full Of Life’

Read more album reviews in the new issue of Hot Press, out now.