Eliza Doolittle

Eliza Doolittle, EMI **

From Camden, and with a mouth the size of Wembley, 21-year-old Eliza Doolittle is treading a thin line – very precariously. There’s just no getting away from the fact that, for a neat if familiar blend of Kate Nash and Lily Allen (whose producer/co-songwriter, Greg Kurstin, lends a helping hand), Doolittle is your woman.

Similarities aside, what we have here is a smart enough dollop of contemporary pop; such status pokes through via songs as tuneful as

Rollerblades, Empty Hand, Police Car

and

Skinny Genes,

and when she gets it right, the result is breezy pop. When Doolittle gets it less right (

Go Home, Back to Front, Nobody

) it’s merely a reminder of how solid her influences are but if jaunty summer pop is your game – and you’re not too fussy how about how “original” it is – Doolittle’s your dame.

See elizadoolittle.com

Download tracks: Police Car, Skinny Genes