Nadine Shah – Fast Food

Nadine Shah's follow up to 2013's Love Your Dum and Mad (applause for the title alone) confirms a vision that her debut could only hint at. That opening shot was notable not only for her hot-blooded and much-lauded vocals but its arresting lyrical candour. And while Fast Food confirms her as a singer with few rivals, its shadowy narratives ("Go ahead and call her, memorise her silhouette" – Washed Up) supply gravitas and emotional pull.

Lesser artists might have responded to second album expectation with showy arrangements and ADHD playfulness, crafting a 'look at me!' style piece. But Shah is so much cannier than the herd. Fast Food reduces her template to a tribal thrum; little more than bass, drums and guitar. It gives that voice the room it needs to breathe and while its sound board is lo-fi, its ambition is high stakes all the way. Place your bets now: the odds on Shah troubling the mainstream are shortening all the time.