In the summer of 2003, aged just 17 and still studying at the Brit School of Performing Arts in Surrey, no-one would have predicted what the next few years would hold for the then teenage Katie Melua. With the release of her third album, Pictures, in 2007 and a trophy case bursting at its seams, I think it has become quite apparent.  She is a 23-year old gently winning the music industry over with a sultry voice, destined for superstardom!

Pictures, recorded and produced along with her long time producer and co-writer, Mike Batt, opens with the quirky “Mary Pickford (Used to Eat Roses)”, about the 1910s film actress and co-founder of United Artists, and her relationships with other actors, mentioning Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and David Griffith.  I might be criticised for commending the song because lyrically it tap dances on the fairly thin line between clever and punny, but the song’s feel good tune makes for good listening and if you are prepared to look past some of the obvious lines like “Douglas Fairbanks, he was so handsome. He wore a moustache. Must-a had much cash, too…” and “Charlie Chaplin, he was invited. When these artists became united.” It is a fun tribute to an interesting and empowered woman and Hollywood figure.   

Not missing a beat, Pictures is a jazz-tinged pop album, described as the last instalment of a trilogy of Melua albums. Katie’s silk-lined voice sounds older, pensive and deeply soulful and is a perfect show of Katie’s evolution as both a singer and a songwriter, penning some of the songs on the album completely by herself.

Katie’s tone changes slightly, on “If the Lights Go Out”, sounding more commanding and assured of her voice. “If the Lights Go Out” has a more mainstream charm,  while the 23-year old proves talented beyond her years with a vulnerable, wishful and mournful delivery on the song “What I Miss About You”. The first single from Pictures; “If You Were A Sailboat” is ironically not the strongest song on the album, but Katie’s voice remains perfect and the song’s melody, overall theme and take on falling in love, transfixing.

The album in its entirety bears witness to Katie’s varied music interests and in including them in her own compilations highlights her own abilities as a singer-songwriter. Listen out for the energetic love-themed “Spellbound”, the bluesy playful “Scary Films”, the sexy “Dirty Dice” complete with Mexican trumpets and for fun, the Reggae-vibed “Ghost Town”.