Songs from the tainted cherry tree

Eighteen year-old Vickers from Blackburn was lucky not to win X Factor. She trundles off the same production line that has produced Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke et al. But thanks to less predictable production, her album has a more mature feel than her years would indicate.
The opener ‘Once’ marries her breathy vocal to superb electro-beats. ‘You’ll Never Get To Heaven’ is standard pop with a messy chorus, while ‘The Boy Who Murdered Love’ is more electro-poppery about a failed romance. The delicate ‘Four Leaf Clover’ is classy old-style balladry in which Vickers’ sultry voice is at its best. ‘Put It Back Together’ covers the same territory but is more upbeat. ‘Me & You’ and ‘Notice’ are pleasantly workwomanlike, with Vickers making like Dolores O’Riordan on the latter; the brass-driven ‘My Hip’ pulsates with fun, and her brave cover of The Sugarcubes’ ‘Hit’ is quirkily thrilling.
The lyrics here will tell you nothing new. However, her sense of adventure moves Vickers out of the chick-pop market and into something more credible.