Polly Scattergood (Mute)
You can’t move for hotly tipped female singers at the moment, but Essex-born, Brit School-educated Scattergood’s been building her resumé on the London circuit for a few years. Thanks to the singer’s own sussed tunes and Simon Fisher Turner’s rich, muscular production, her debut album packs an impressive punch. The weak link is provided by Scattergood’s lyrics, which too often inhabit the realm of adolescent poetry, but there’s plenty here to admire. WILL FULFORD-JONES
