EMELI SANDÉ
REAL LIFE
VIRGIN/EMI
★★★★
“Last night,”Emeli Sandé sings, borne aloft as her third album reaches its finale, “I had a dream that I could fly”. She’s not the first to do so, to be honest, and nor is she the first to employ the song’s title, Free As A Bird: Supertramp, John Lennon and Louis Armstrong all got there before her Sandé, though, doesn’t appear interested in breaking new ground when she can preserve and revere old territory: Real Life immerses her in gospel soul traditions, with massed voices integral to its style, so if you’re comfortable with formulas, you won’t begrudge her being formulaic.