Jamelia: Thank You

By REBECCA BARRY

(Herald rating: * *)

Until Jamelia, we hadn't heard much British R&B in these parts. Now the hype surrounding the Birmingham-born, award-winning singer, who dropped off the commercial radar three years ago when she fell pregnant, suggests she's the new saviour of urban pop.

And sure, she has an excellent, catchy radio hit in Superstar and a tough, empowering second single in Thank You — but there's nothing else on her follow-up that comes close to knocking Beyonce from her perch. Even contributions from southern hip-hop star Bubba Sparxx and So Solid Crew's Asher D can't save this from being a soulless, overly produced, computer game soundtrack.

The problem lies not just in her Aretha-lite voice, which, to be fair, does improve when she's busting a rhyme Lisa Left-Eye style.

It also lies with the weak song-writing and average production. While it aims for a futuristic Aaliyah vibe with its twitchy, syncopated beats, it comes across as a tinny, uninspired rip-off of American R&B. It's a shame but Jamelia's strong, sexy image is more memorable than her music.

Label: EMI