Mr Lambchop Kurt Wagner pulled off a trick that the mindbending Derren Brown would have been chuffed with when he put out Is A Woman back in February 1992.

Two years on Welsh-based singer-songwriter Volenté Lloyd, aka V, has repeated the stunt. Both Wagner and Lloyd have managed to make an album out of one extended track, one longplayer of a single.

It’s one hell of a ruse as you risk boring your listener to emitting tears of frustration. That both acts share the magical ability of suspension is a gift to behold. The similarities end there, however. Volenté’s vocals are as distinct from Wagner’s as chalk is to cheese and the background music on her album is both darker and spookier than Lambchop’s comparatively lightweight melding of country, jazz and soul.

Indeed, Volenté could be a Celtic cousin to Mew vocalist Jonas Bjerre. Jonas’ band hail from Denmark. Lloyd began her music career in South Africa before moving on to Holland. Her travels have nothing to do with the point of comparison. Volenté and Bjerre are kindred spirits. Dockrad and Sony, take note: you’ve got to get these two together for a duo.

The CD lacks one thing. A warning sticker featuring the catchphrase of Nick Ross from Crimewatch: “Don’t have nightmares.” Mark my words, it’s not one to listen to too late at night. Especially if you’ve been eating cheese. All in all, though, V appears to stand for victory as much as it does for Volenté.
(4/5)

Release date: 31 May 2004