The debut from Liverpool songstress Laura Critchley opens with Today's Another Day - perfect up-tempo pop rock of the Natalie Umbruglia variety. What Do We Do? Follows - a big American radio friendly ballad Dixie Chicks style with some great vocals. But the pick of the crop is Shoulder To Lean On - a perfect soul ballad with some frankly, stunning vocals.

It's the sort of song your Mum and Dad would like (well, the Carpenters appealed across generations - so nothing wrong with that!). If it was Lisa Stansfield it would be acclaimed as the second coming. And I'll Be Okay does, infact, remind in places of Karen Carpenter covering a Robbie Williams song.

And the album is great [light] entertainment. And there's the rub. Any track would be great and go down a storm on X Factor or Pop Idol. That's not a criticism, just a fact. It's easy listening with terrific vocals well up in the mix. In days gone by we might have called it Music For Pleasure.

But you'd be hard pushed to find a more note perfect vocal performance and with the right material, this girl could go global.

****

Review by Pete Whalley