DERIDED, of late, for returning from the States full of affectation and mid-Atlantic drawl, Stone is walking a thin line between artistic endeavour and sheer irritating precocity.

This is forgivable - she's but a nipper - and the unlikely merging of Devonian princess and prime time Aretha continues to intrigue here.

Her best outing to date, Introducing... sees her finally move to a more contemporary base and the hard-driven R'n'B that seems more suited to her tender years.

Elements of rap are allowed to seep tastefully into song corners and Stone's voice, noticeably low in the mix, counters in the improvisational manner of a young Robert Plant.

At times here she even extends to an emotive free-flow warble, which is immediately countered by the elegant urban production.

It's a courageous move forward, given that she may alienate pockets of mainstream fans addicted to the Stax back-beat of previous albums. However, this is a career bump that has had to be faced, lest she fades to a state of soul tribute act.

Once past the tiresome Vinnie Jones spoken intro, this is accessible, pretty and... kind of blue.