Odyssey

“I’m always really scared of ruining a classic, but this feels like a worthy reimagination,” Gary Barlow tells Apple Music. The re-formed boy band have maintained a progressive spirit during their second act, and every album since 2006’s big return, <i>Beautiful World</i>, has explored a new sound. So, naturally, they didn’t want to churn out a simple greatest-hits collection for their 30th anniversary. Reuniting with Stuart Price, who produced arguably their most adventurous album, 2010’s <i>Progress</i>, they’ve taken the opportunity to revamp many of their biggest songs as well as write some new ones.<br /> “Pray” is transformed from shuffling dance-pop towards orchestral balladry. “The beautiful moment, for me, was when we took the old vocals and put them on top,” adds Mark Owen. “It transcended that time.” “It Only Takes a Minute” retains its disco magic with a fresh club beat, while the stripped-back production on “Back for Good” proves the trio’s vocals are as masterful as ever. Of the new tracks, “Spin” is percussive acoustic pop and “Everlasting” adds a country twang to their canon of ambitious, crowd-pleasing power pop. Barlow recalls that recording the swinging “Out of Our Heads” in Los Angeles felt like a party. “We just wanted everyone to celebrate with us what we’ve done in the last 30 years,” he says. “That’s what the energy of that song is all about.”