Once upon a time, before Lily Allen, Kate Nash, Amy McDonald and Adele, there once was a sweet 16-year-old named Amy Studt.  She was once dubbed “UK’s Avril Lavigne” and allegedly dabbled in illegal substances to warrant her rebellious side but fast-forward to 2008 and Amy Studt is vying to reclaim the spotlight with a new album.

A fresh sound and clever lyrics in ‘Furniture’, ‘Sad Sad World’ and ‘Nice Boys’ make for memorable numbers.  The grown-up Studt has produced some refreshing melodies, which is a feat for anyone faced with competition from the current array of female UK artists she’s got to contend with. 

Although Studt’s musical prowess bears some resemblance to Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, Tori Amos and Elisa, whether she is convincing enough to stick around for as long as these mentors (and indeed longer than her previous stiny) is another question altogether.   There’s definitely an element of the familiar.  That’s not such a terrible thing of course, if you like this pop-stroke-misfit-rock genre and it seems that Studt has put some considerable effort into these tracks.  But on the whole the album is neither remarkable nor memorable.  I doubt there will be any acclaim for Studt and this attempt to show her maturity, fragility and vulnerability in her painful life as an outsider.

(3/5)