Stealthy stunner

CD CHOICE: This week's CD of the week is LISA HANNIGAN's See Sew-Self release (distributed through RMG) *****

Any preconceptions there may be about Lisa Hannigan (ie, that she's this willowy, whispery Damien Rice acolyte floating about wittering on about birds, bees and how best to offset your carbon footprint) will be well and truly shattered by her debut album.

That's not to say she upends certain assumptions by coming across as, say, a mixture of an X-rated Alanis Morissette and a raw, confessional Liz Phair. In fact, it's something else altogether. Hannigan avoids the pitfalls of your typical singer- songwriter by sidestepping the obvious and following the path less travelled.

The song arrangements on Sea Seware brilliant. Hannigan avoids the traditional approach, which can bedevil and instantly date even the best of songsmiths. Instead, she filters the melodies as if through a sonic prism; the highly defined tunes are as tough as steel and as durable as a Toyota engine.

By eschewing the tried and tested, Hannigan has, at very least, raised the bar for her Irish peers and contemporaries. When - and it is very much a when, not if - this record goes mainstream, it will set a new benchmark for aspiring creative types.

Hannigan subtly gets to the nub of matters emotional and, yes, romantic in a way that is utterly fab and truthful. Lines such as "I spoon you into my coffee cup, spin you through a delicate wash, and wear you all day" ( An Ocean and a Rock) and "I don't know if you write letters or if you panic on the phone - I'd like to call you all the same. If you want to, I am game" ( I Don't Know) highlight a frisky yet intuitive brain at work, rest and play.

See Sewis a stealthy stunner and a serious contender for record of the year. As for the artist, there are too many singer- songwriters around these days that are 10 a penny. Lisa Hannigan is, without question, the full shilling. www.myspace.com/lisahannigan

Download tracks: An Ocean and a Rock, I Don't Know, Pistachio, Lille