Ghosts - Siobhán Donaghy

I read a review that said that this young lady was the most underrated artist with a recording contract in the UK.

I knew who she was: founding member of the pop group Sugababes, she left for a solo career, which quickly failed and vanished.

Apparently, not completely. And thankfully some people at Parlophone still think she should continue recording. Thanks to those people she released a true pearl of an album.

Starting with Don't Give It Up, a hymn to perseverance, it slowly floats down to more softly sounded balads of break ups and love. One of the highlights of the album marks the middle ground: with 12 Bar Acid Blues she, very tongue-in-cheek, remembers a disastrous trip, where everything actually happens, while thinking that she "should have heeded" her father's advice.

From here we continue down into darker terrain. And the last songs of the album give the ethereal feeling you should get from an album named Ghosts. Of special note are the last 3 songs: Medevac, Halcyon Days and the fabulous Ghosts.

A final mention has to go to the production team of James Sanger (production geek that I am) who did a spectacular job of giving a proper backtrack to Siobhán's voice and lyrics.

For more information go to her site.