First Listen: Beth Ditto, 'Fake Sugar'

As lead singer of , Beth Ditto strutted and sang with the presence of a powerhouse. But as that band's career wound down last year — its last album, the commercially underperforming, came out in 2012 — it seemed mired in an identity crisis. Gossip's brash, soulfully combative rock 'n' roll had become softer and slicker, and while that left turn suited a band that thrived on surprises, it disappointed many fans who'd come to expect swaggering dance-punk with sharper teeth.