Kate Rogers - St Eustacia

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A class all its own

Grand Central - 2004 - 50 minutes

After smouldering on the songs of AIM and Rae & Christian, Canadian Kate Rogers releases her solo debut - a missing link between singer-songwriter sentiments, furrowed-brow folk and the beats and remixes of the Manchester label she calls home, Grand Central.

Perhaps 'St Eustacia' isn't as leftfield as some who've heard her previous work were expecting, but nor does it forsake quality for crossover appeal. And Rogers manages to keep the maudlin momentum going through every song - there's no padding and no tracks begging for chart recognition.

Inevitably, she'll now get lumped in with plenty of other artists, but anyone who spends time with this record will find that it has a class all its own.

Harry Guerin

Tracklisting: Welcome - Not Ten Years Ago - Mighty - The Apology - Odyssey - Nothing Appeals to Me Here - Sidelines - Joan - Sum It Up - This Collective - St Eustacia