Golden Hour by Kygo
Kygo got his start as an inventor of tropical house, then sailed into open waters with his debut album, 2016’s <i>Cloud Nine</i>. There, he masterminded a richly melodic strain of pop that paired his trademark chiming keys with the distinctive voices of guests like John Legend and Foxes. Arriving after 2017’s lush yet comparatively brief <i>Kids in Love</i>, the Norwegian producer's third album is his most expansive yet: a big-hearted big-tent gathering that folds piano ballads, R&B, indie folk and even country into his blend of soulful pop and featherweight EDM.<br /> Across 18 tracks, Kygo has expanded his sound without jettisoning what made it special in the first place. His trademark marimbas and piano are joined by fingerpicked acoustic guitars, side-chained stabs, buoyant pads and driving percussion; the promise of high drama is never far from even the most understated moments of chill. Kygo’s roster of vocalists has never been more distinguished: Topping the list is the late Whitney Houston, whose 1990 cover of Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” he flips from a new jack swing anthem into a joyous riff on piano house. With OneRepublic, he turns heartbreak into uplift on “Lose Somebody”, while Zara Larsson and Tyga make lemonade out of the bittersweet fruit of an on-again, off-again affair on the Dua Lipa-penned “Like It Is”. No matter the star power of Kygo’s guests, the album’s vocals are more lovingly rendered than ever: layered, vocodered and stacked in shimmering close harmony. Trembling, cracking in their depths or breaking into a high-flying falsetto, Kygo’s singers convey the kind of emotion that can’t be contained, just as his own sound confidently pushes beyond all his previous milestones.
