Roisin Murphy - Overpowered

Roisin Murphy's debut solo album, 2005's Ruby Blue, found the former Moloko vocalist paired with producer Matthew Herbert for an aural affair that was (all at once) sultry, poppy, jazzy, quirky, and, well, utterly mesmerizing. For Overpowered, Murphy has recruited several different producers for what she hopes to be her big breakout album. And if there is any justice in this world, Overpowered will be just that. Every track on this album (save, perhaps, "Scarlet Ribbons") is single material, each with an attractive melody and dancefloor-ready beat. Of course, Murphy's rich voice is at the center of the music, and it is Murphy's talent as a songwriter and vocalist that makes Overpowered stand out from the pack of female-fronted dance acts. Though not as initially distinctive or complex as Ruby Blue, Overpowered, like Goldfrapp's Supernature, succeeds beautifully as a glittering moment of electro-pop magic and manages, still, to showcase Murphy's unique style to what will hopefully be a huge audience. [www.roisinmurphy.com]