Katy B - 'On A Mission' (Rinse) Released: 04/04/11

Announcing herself with three quite remarkable singles last year, it seems the lass from Peckham is the girl that keeps on giving. Who’d have thought it? Defying the well known convention that people that start out singing on other people’s tracks, unless generally established already, are only an X Factor audition away from general who-are-you-again? obscurity. Instead, Katy B’s albums a taut, powerful pop record that when judged against other such female debutants plied with praise this year seems miles ahead of the pack.

Then again those tracks that Katy did feature on for others she made completely her own. Both feature here, Benga’s brimming bass a mere backdrop to Katy’s immersion in her craft on the title track: she makes singing about clubbing as attractive a form as the sweaty pursuit itself. Magnetic Man’s ‘Perfect Stranger’, rather than feeling like a tacked on money motivator, fits neatly into the album’s narrative arc; Katy’s mission nearly done, all that’s left is closer ‘Hard to Get’’s multitude of thanks and shout outs and she can down tools and skip back to the dance floor.

'On A Mission's' greatest success, though, is its scope. Brien’s managed to create an album for the club that clubbers will like by a clubber. But not only that, On A Mission isn’t just for clubbers or the club, as Katy’s tracks ascent into the top 10 twice last year (and another – Perfect Stranger – that landed in the top 20) goes some way to showing.

She’s got the tunes to thank for this – big, hook laden heavyweight ones generally. There’s ‘Movement’’s see sawing house, ‘Broken Record’’s sultry stabs of celestial synth. Even ‘Go Away’, which somehow adjoins the murky half beat of Dubstep to the ballad, and therefore should never work, does. And though Katy’s got her producers – Rinse boss Geeneus, Zinc, Benga amongst them – to thank for the music, it’s pretty clear that without her R&B indebted, understated deliveries they’d merely end up another banger in a catalogue already full to brim with bangers. Instead this is Katy B’s moment to shine, and the spotlight doesn’t waver for a minute.

The girl’s on a mission, and what should have been nearly impossible she’s made look very easy indeed.