Caroline Sullivan 

Jamelia, Walk With Me

(Parlophone)
  
  

Walk With Me by Jamelia
Walk With Me by Jamelia Photograph: Public domain

There's no disputing Jamelia Davis's ability to turn out a fantastic single: her last album contained three of the best of that year in Superstar, See it in a Boy's Eyes and Thank You. The new single, Something About You, doesn't quite match up (the call-and-response refrain is disconcertingly similar to Natasha Bedingfield's Single), but its snappy R&B rhythm and rock guitars exemplify the rest of the album's boundary-crossing freshness. In a set full of glittering, A-list moments, two of the best are No More, which samples the Stranglers' Golden Brown, and Beware of the Dog, whose compelling electronic thrust comes courtesy of a chunk of Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus. Jamelia has made strides as a singer, too, and is silkily assured - as she has to be, if she's to give Beyoncé a run for her money. Her beguiling vulnerability has been sacrificed, but strength and power have emerged in its stead.

 

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