McKay: McKay

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * * *)

She might be another singer who wants to be known by her first name but in the case of Stephanie McKay, here on her debut album, there's something special behind the brand.

The first thing you notice is that the New Yorker has a voice which recalls a past soul era, a time when Aretha Franklin was queen and many a princess was just as qualified for the job. The second thing you notice is that much of her backings sound like missing-in-action English trip-hoppers Portishead - that's because Geoff Barrow (under the moniker "Fuzzface") is behind the desk for much of this with help from Adrian Utley.

But their scratchy, crackling, inside-out grooves give that voice a warm, intimate, characterful setting from which McKay can variously brood, purr and soar.

The songwriting is consistently impressive throughout. But the performances are at their best on the bluesy belter Sadder Day; the clipped funk strut of Thinking of You; the piano-powered Aretha-conscious How Long and the bouncy vintage reggae of Take Me Over.

All this and a spot of gospel to finish with - a cover of Sweet Honey in the Rock's civil rights anthem Echo, reworked into a 21st-century spiritual. It makes quite an amen to an collection that sounds like a contender for soul and debut album of the year.

Label: Go Beat