Pictures

Katie Melua is one of those artists who is either adored or disdainfully discarded as yet another generic bluesy/jazz-pop artist. The fact that her first two albums have sold more than 7.5 million copies suggests that there are a fair number of people in the former category. A fact which her critics would suggest only strengthens their case — because what do the masses know?

Either way, there's no denying that this Georgian-born British songstress can sing. Belonging to the category or admirers, I would go so far as to suggest that her song-writing skills aren't entirely dismal either.

'Pictures', Melua’s movie-themed third album, forms what she describes as a 'trilogy' with 'Call off the Search' and 'Piece by Piece'. As her third, and final, collaboration with producer and mentor Mike Batt of 'Caravans' and 'Bright Eyes' fame, this album offers more of the same, but with hints of a new-found artistic maturity and an exploratory spirit.

Not surprisingly, the tracks most similar to her back catalogue are those composed exclusively by Batt, such as the single 'If You Were a Sailboat', 'If the Lights Go Out' and 'What It Says on the Tin'. The album’s opening track 'Mary Pickford' — a tribute to the old film stars of the silver screen — and the bluesy 'Scary Films' are also Batt offerings, but they have a more quirky, light-hearted feel to them.

Perhaps an indication of her artistic maturation is the fact that the best tracks are penned exclusively or partially by Melua. 'Spellbound' is a catchy and cheerful love song, while 'What I Miss About You' (with Andrea McEwan) is a bittersweet admission of loving and loathing. The other collaboration with McEwan is the spaghetti-western 'Dirty Dice' which — with its trumpets and sultry vocals — offers up some of the best lyrics on the album: "With the roll of my dirty dice, I’m only following the devil’s advice/ I’ll take your love and leave my kind regards/ But I never cheat at cards."

The mid-tempo, jazzy 'Perfect Circle' (with Molly McQueen) could be seen as a taste of things to come and if the catchy lyrics — "I try but I just can’t wait to break out of this perfect circle" — are anything to go by, Melua is only just getting started.