Alison Moyet

Hometime

(Sanctuary Records)

What makes a great album? The list of criteria is seemingly endless, and undeniably subjective. In the case of Hometime, one word springs to mind: haunting.

Alison Moyet's distinctive voice - deep, rich, soulful and jazzy - permeates like an exotic perfume that lingers long after the last track (appropriately, the sensual Si Tu Ne Me Reviens Pas) ends.

And like any timeless scent - think Opium for Moyet - she remains fresh some 20 years after defining herself as a groundbreaker, without diluting her signature style.

She has taken over where the generations that followed left off. Trip-hop wafts through many of the songs and it's a flavour that fills out, but never detracts from, her hypnotic delivery.

The opener, Yesterday's Flame, and the title track give the sharpest hints as to the identity of her collaborators, the Insects - who also produced Massive Attack and Goldfrapp - and infuse an irresistible electro-lounge groove into the proceedings.

That's not to say electronica dominates the 13 tracks; all but two of which were co-written by Moyet. Of the more conventional ballads, Should I Feel That It's Over is a fine example of substance over style with its pared-down melody, uncluttered guitar and vocal mastery.

Revolutions take less than the eight years since Moyet's last album, Essex, and this fifth solo effort could have shattered pleasant memories of her time as one half of 1980s synth-dance duo Yazoo.

But after a protracted legal battle to escape the grasp of Sony records, and several stage roles on London's West End, Moyet has produced what could serve as a textbook for aspiring singer-songwriters.

So take a deep breath and let Moyet envelop the senses.