Ghost Stories

Amanda Ghost is not your average singer-songwriter: not by a long shot. Ghost Stories is about as far away from your winsome, folky balladeers as it's possible to get and yet Amanda is, strictly speaking, a singer-songwriter.

The thing about Ms Ghost is that she cannot be pigeon-holed into any particular genre, from the opening Prodigy-influenced, heady dancefloor rush of 'Filthy Mind' to the heavily orchestrated, late night torch balladry of the closing 'Numb'.

'The Wrong Man' takes smoky jazz elements and slots them alongside Curve's industrial beatscapes. Recent single 'Idol' takes a couple of listens to really work and showcases Amanda's more anthemic side, while the predominantly acoustic 'Glory Girl' wouldn't seem out of place on a Tracy Chapman album.

'Empty' sees Ghost flirting with the notion of fame on a Portishead-esque canvas, as she waxes freely about "the shallow need to feel wanted, worshipped and adored, and never be ignored".

Then there's the Tori Amos-tinged 'Silver Lining' which showcases Ghost's strong vocals, and could almost be a cousin of David Gray's song of the same name.

In fact, Amanda skips through musical hoops so often that Ghost Stories could be accused of being unfocused were it not for the fact that this Ghost is one talented spirit that haunts each and every song with pure soul.

An impressive debut.