Because Katie Melua is from these cold UK island shores, I took some time to read through the sleeve notes before listening to her debut album. I found that only two of the album tracks were written by her, while six were written by Mike Batt (who also produced the record). However, while Melua is not strictly a singer/songwriter (not yet anyway), having listened to her new single, she has a wonderfully silky and distinctive voice.

In both arranging and producing, Mike Batt has done a superb job in delicately balancing some very fine instrumental performances in order that Melua’s voice shines through. Call Off The Search is a classy Batt blues/jazz ballad and starts the album beautifully. Melua’s delicate intonation, wonderful phrasing, good vocal range and bluesy mellowness are perfectly illustrated as she completes one of the album’s best performances. The first of several covers is next with John Mayall’s Crawling Up A Hill and one of Melua’s better interpretations here as she allows her voice to float expressively over the another strong set of instrumentals. A superb Batt composition follows and one that is likely to expose Melua to a much wider audience. The Closest Thing To Crazy is the first single off the album and one of the very best released in 2003. The song has a rich melody, strong lyrics, and beautifully judged changes of pace, while Melua’s performance is perfectly understated. Batt and Melua score again with the next song, My Aphrodisiac Is You, which is bluesy ragtime and as light as air. Melua’s vocal interpretation is nigh on perfect and it’s perhaps the first time that I sensed that she really feels perfectly at home…

With Learnin’ The Blues (A Dolores J Silver song), Melua has shed her high heels and put on her slippers. This bluesy ballad wanders along with Melua in faithful, comfortable and happy tow, and I get the feeling that the blues is where this lady’s heart really lies. Wonderful. One more song and then it’s Melua’s turn to compose with the wistful tones of Belfast (Penguins And Cats). Her performance is one of the most contemplative and expressive on the album, and indicates a talent for the art of song writing. A very beautiful cover of Randy Newman’s I Think It’s Going To Rain follows and Melua’s voice betrays both an emotional connection and respect for the writer and the song. The next cover of Mockingbird Song is rather messy and unsuccessful, while her version of Lilac Wine, although superbly sung, follows the immaculate Jeff Buckley version a tad too close for comfort. But prior to the latter arrives Melua’s second composition here, and excellent it is. Faraway Voice is a tribute to the late, great Eva Cassidy, and at times Melua actually sounds like her hero. Her performance and the song are passionate and very moving.

So, how good is Katie Melua? I believe we are seeing an artist in the early stages of greatness. Much credit must go to the hugely talented writing, arrangement and production of Mike Batt for helping create a wonderful, early showcase of Melua’s talents. But this is a superb team effort in every sense of the word, with sensitive and highly skilled instrumental performances from all the players. CALL OFF THE SEARCH may not be a perfect record (very few are) but it’s a wonderful debut for a singer with a long-term international future. It’s also good enough, at this very late stage, for me to sneak it in to our list of ‘albums of the year.’

4/5