

‘90s bandmates in The Beautiful South, Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott reconvene after 2014’s successful What Have We Become collaboration. Theirs is a welcome reunion. The pair have always married sunny country-pop hooks with wry lyrics and middle age is only sharpening their observations. “(Man Is) The Biggest Bitch of All” is a jiving survey of gender politics, “State vs Jeeves” takes a caustic, jangly look at social inequality and “Wives 1, 2 & 3” is a tragicomic riot.