CORINNE BAILEY RAE Corinne Bailey Rae Good Groove/EMI ****

In the pop business, there are times when hot tips fail to deliver, and the ranks of Next Big Things who never quite get off the ground swell with every passing year. Despite all the press and good wishes, these acts just don't have the songs, the presence or the luck for the long run. For Corinne Bailey Rae, the release of her debut album is when the talking stops. Indeed, to date, there has been almost too much talk about the Leeds lass, something she has acknowledged herself: "It's weird, I haven't sold any records yet," she reminds us.

This may be about to change with the release of an album of smooth, often sumptuous, sometimes beguiling soul-pop. Bailey Rae's confidence comes through on every level, from the sweeping groove on Put Your Records On to the enchanting simplicity of Like a Star. If her songwriting is strong, her voice is stronger. At times intoning like Billie Holiday, other times growling like Macy Gray, it's already a remarkable voice that hasn't quite abandoned its church schooling in favour of pop styling. That's a good sign, because it's by maintaining such distinctiveness and developing her own edge that Bailey Rae will really thrive.

Right now, though, the disarming charm and gentle soul of this bunch of songs will do all the talking she needs to do. - Jim Carroll

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