albums and tracks

When she's not in a tiny skirt, shaking her Afro and blowing a trumpet with Fedde Le Grand, Danish diva Ida Corr is one of the big voices behind SugaRush Beat Company.

Joined by New York soul singer Rahsaan Patterson and producer Jaz Rogers, Ida and co have come together with the promise of "a brief history of r'n'b, only turned upside-down, twisted, stretched and re-envisaged". Brave words indeed, especially when your band name is the most '90s sounding thing we've heard in years.

While some may have been expecting half-baked world/jazz fusion, synthy soarer 'Love Breed' instead is a pop song hit-making Swedish producers Kleerup would be proud of and sets the tone for an album full of surprises.

Ida's voice is at times gritty enough to make listeners think they might be listening to Kelis, while Rahsaan's voice is redolent of Gnarls Barkley chap, Cee-Lo.

Retro yet forward-sounding soul propels us through the smooth slink of former single 'L.O.V.E.' and 'The Number One' through to the wobbly '60s horns of 'They Said I Said' and the future funk of 'No Parking'.

Save the atmospheric 'Jesus Come Near', there's no messing about on this album. Each song, rarely going over three and a half minutes, is crammed full of odd noises, hooks and styles, ready to really pack a punch.

It's not going to make listeners run screaming through the streets proclaiming them the greatest new band ever to exist, but SugaRush Beat Company do have something exciting that soul fans will love and that will make the rest of us shake our hips appreciatively.

Talia Kraines