Sarah Whatmore - Time To Think

By naming her debut album as 'Time To Think', Sarah Whatmore wasn't kidding. Beginning her career as a TV music contestant in 2001, the singer-songwriter has progressed and evolved in the eight years since she first came to the attention of the public on Pop Idol.

A few dance-orientated singles bothered the charts soon after, but the 26-year-old Salfordian soon disappeared into the unknown. As the title explains, the songstress stepped away from a future in cheesy pop - destined for doom, gloom and quick failure - to record an album to her own satisfaction. She's replaced the dance side of things with a collection of personal and largely acoustic based tracks, padded out with pianos and epic orchestral flourishes.

Opener 'Undefined' and the closing 'Own Designs' follow the country-pop rulebook of Jewel or Taylor Swift, the soulful tones of 'Smile' would give Joss Stone a run for her money, the gentle nature of 'Somewhere I Belong' could oust Katie Melua as the queen of coffee-table folk and the dark, claustrophobic ambience of 'Innocence' is a more experimental side, showing just how diverse Whatmore's music has become.

Sarah hoped to find her "own mark" on 'Time To Think'. Although comparisons can be made at times - it's no bad thing - Whatmore has more than established herself as a serious singer-songwriter and presents a warm and very personal collection. The kind most artists don't reach until several albums into their career.

You can only guess what a strong writer she'll become 2 more LPs down the line. Her time to think was more than worth it.