I often receive the most enjoyment from totally unexpected sources - those of you who recall my earliest CD reviews may remember Stephanie Kirkham's debut album "That Girl" being lauded a couple of years ago. Whilst I really liked it, I somehow failed to keep up with what she was doing recently and completely missed out on the fact that despite the collapse of her initial record deal with Hut (part of the Virgin empire), she'd gone ahead anyway and released a follow-up disc, "Sunlight On My Soul", two years ago. Attagirl! I came across this little nugget of information just after Christmas last year so immediately ordered a copy of the CD, and what a purchase it turned out to be! Stephanie actually contacted me recently to ask what I thought of it - maybe I should send her a copy of this review!

As Stephanie's debut was a surprisingly assured piece of work, full of bouncy little pop songs that stuck in your head, I was a little bit apprehensive as to the quality of her follow-up. Some artists don't seem to be able to recapture the magic they started out with, or try to move off in a different direction that doesn't always work. I needn't have worried, though - she's managed to produce a set of songs that succeed on both counts. Yes, there's a complete direction change in that the music is influenced from diverse origins such as medieval and eastern arrangements, but the quality and freshness Stephanie brought to her debut CD remains in abundance. All the lyrics are self-penned, and the vocals and melodies were down to her, whilst she left the writing, performing and producing of the arrangements to fellow musician Johnny Dunne. For someone who was once described as "so reserved, she makes Nick Drake sound like Elton John", this is a very assured, engaging piece of work, and she's got the confidence to do it all her own way. She says that she wanted to produce an album that was full of songs which sounded like "how I hear them in my head, I wanted something magical". I think she's cracked it. Trouble is, I can see the majority of people never experiencing this album since it'll be totally underneath their radar coverage - and as it's on the artist's own label, it won't get anywhere near the level of publicity it deserves, and the songs probably won't get airplay beyond local radio - a real shame.

"Wild ideas like fireworks cascade in your mind" - Stephanie changes tack again with "Show Me What You're Made Of", with its omnipresent, feline-graced jazz-standard arrangement and self-assured piano, double bass, brass and snare brush. This was apparently the first single off the album (download only), and it's a complete winner. If you think it's a straight-forward as that though, try listening to it again - there's a jauntiness, a kookiness and a whimsical, mocking tone running right through the song that almost brings a chuckle to her lips at any given moment. Jaunty it may be, but she demonstrates poise, gravitas and a versatility that may surprise some. Her voice almost struts for the listener, adopting a grace that might well be mistaken for self-indulgence, whilst it echoes Beth Gibbons in the latter's most mellow moments. How this never made anyone's regular playlist is a complete mystery to me.

"Wrote a list of what I want to throw away" - "Bonds Are Broken" starts off like some sort of pagan anthem delivered in a voice that could be Beth Gibbons when she really gets into her stride. Add some urgent yet delicious strings between the verses of this song about liberation and its aftermath and you get a rather Eastern-flavoured arrangement, an urgent mantra that simply bounces with elation and a beguiling set of breathy backing vocals. This is not folk music; its effortless pop dressed up in the delights summoned up by the artist's fevered imagination - revel in it at your leisure. This should have been a single too - it's certainly catchy enough with a hook and half-repeated lyric lines that again provide further evidence of her self-confidence as a songwriter.