Matti P
Sadly there aren't even ratings here for British artist Katie Melua (b. 1984 in Kutaisi, Georgia). The mellow, relaxed nature of her jazz & blues flavoured adult pop makes it easy to see similarities with American Norah Jones, and also her quick rise to a wide popularity resembles the other well-received young female newcomer of the early 2000's. Melua may not be quite as accomplished as a musician and composer as Jones, but she's not a mere singer either.
Katie Melua's debut album Call Off the Search (2003) was an enormous success, selling 1,8 million copies in the first five months. It was produced, and half written, by the long-term songwriter, arranger, director and producer Mike Batt who continued as Melua's right hand on subsequent releases. It was easy for this safely done second album to faithfully follow the succesful path. It reached the top of the charts and sold platinum on several countries.
The nice, small-scale opener 'Shy Boy' leans on the blues. The album's lead single, fresh & sweet ballad 'Nine Million Bicycles' (also by Batt) remains deservedly as one of Melua's best-loved songs. Melua's own composition 'Piece by Piece' is enjoyable as a moodier ballad inspired by the break-up from her boy friend. 'Halfway Up the Hindu Kush' (Melua/Batt) has a joyful jazzy feel but isn't among my faves.
Katie Melua is competent enough as an interpreter to feel at home on standards like 'Blues in the Night' in which Paul Jones plays harmonica. 'On the Road Again' happily isn't the worn-out country song but a Canned Heat song from 1967. 'Just like Heaven' is originally a 1987 piece of The Cure and suits Katie Melua surprisingly well.
Within a couple of years Melua had progressed as a songwriter. 'Spider's Web' is a fine, dark-toned ballad. 'I Cried for You' is a tender and slow-tempo love song with a pretty arrangement balanced between acoustic simplicity and orchestral colours. The shamelessly romantic arrangement on the innocently naiive 'I Do Believe in Love' is perhaps a bit too zaccharine. One can of course blame the whole album for staying too safely on the soft side, but admittedly that's where Katie Melua shines the brightest. For the 12-piece song set containing so many beauties, Piece by Piece is undoubtedly among the essential Melua albums and a fine place to start.