Dido: Life for Rent

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * *)

English singer Dido Armstrong knows the meaning of a hard act to follow — whether it was turning her cameo on Eminem's Stan into a career or now, following her 12 million-selling debut album with her second.

But there's nothing at all hard about Life for Rent — it's an 11-track reminder that someone whose biggest hit is called Thank You is going to be more than polite. That is even if her achy-breaky wispy songs are about having your way with some bloke whose girlfriend is elsewhere (Mary's in India) or the unsuccessful search for love, commitment (See You When You're 40) and the other great themes of Bridget Jones's Diary. Bathed in a sound that's pure electronic comfort blanket (and largely the product of brother Rollo of Faithless fame), Dido largely figures the best way not to have a hard act to follow, is to repeat act one all over again. Millions will love her for just that.

Label: Arista/BMG