Remember the first time you heard Portishead's 'Dummy' album? Do you recall how, dark and different it was? Did you go all goose-pimply to its exotic blend of late-night blues, moody cinematic strings and Beth Gibbons' Billie Holiday-style melancholy drawl?
If the answer's yes to all of the above, you might, just might, get a thrill out of 'Felt Mountain', the stunningly beautiful debut album from Allison Goldfrapp, the lady who provided vocals for Tricky's 'Maxinquaye' album and Orbital's 'Snivilisation' LP.
For while 'Felt Mountain'owes a lot to Portishead and quite possibly couldn't have happened without the luscious dawning of trip hop, Goldfrapp mixes in many different influences while possessing one hell of a versatile and breathtaking voice.
Flitting from Holiday-seque intimate blues through Shirley Bassey/Eartha Kitt- style drama and pitch-pure opera to breathy Sarah Cracknell style reflection, Goldfrapp more than holds her own before a dreamy, filmscore type backdrop.
Think John Barry in James Bond mode, Sergio Leone and all that haunting whistling in The Good The Bad And The Ugly, maybe the odd Sixties spy theme or Tim Burton movie soundtrack, a splash of brassy oompah, some classical strings and you're just about there.
But the real star is Goldfrapp's rich, melancholy, intensely emotive vocal. Can't wait to see her live.
