Roisin Murphy - 'Overpowered'

I have to admit to being a little sceptical about this single when it landed on the desk. Moloko always felt a little boring to me, never quite capitalising on the obvious talents of Roisin Murphy’s versatile voice or the jazzier tendencies of the music that could have marked them as a new Portishead. Three spins of this one later, I myself am overpowered by egg on my face. Murphy’s first solo single is ice-cold Kylie-ish pop from just after that time that Kylie realised she was good and starting making songs that sounded like having sex. The sex doesn’t quite exist on the same level here, eschewing the sensual purr of Minogue’s ‘Slow’ for a blending of Human League synth-detachment and the deadpan delivery of early Debbie Harry. It's not a barn-burning ‘E-anthem’ but it has the disregard for chorus Justin Timberlake has shown recently and delivers its aloof, European loving with a stern conviction. Far, far better than we'd expected.

Released 09/07/07 on EMI Records