UN-CUT

Enter Un-Cut, a pair of plucky Manc producers and a front woman who has the words urban diva stamped all over in large, neon letters, and their debut album, The Un-Calculated Some. They may not be strictly soul, but the fact that they transcend the genre and push their noses into drum and bass and r'n'b just adds to their appeal. The fact that The Un-Calculated Some is superb helps them no end as well. Rooted in the fundaments of Motown, distilled through the upfront attitude of Northern Soul and invigorated by jazz and funk, it is a debut that deserves to be on every stereo, every coffee table, and every end of year honours list. The straight up and down stormer Midnight sets the pace and quality, and nearly everything that follows it burns as brightly. Falling is a piece of sunshine pressed into vinyl, Things You Do picks up the thread of Basement Jaxx's Do Your Thing and smartens it up for a dinner date, Music Is M is modern jazz pushed through the cool of a late night bar, and the heartbreaking duo of Loveless and Senseless could teach any of America's new soul divas a thing or two about real emotion. It's testament to the talent that vibrates through Manchester that yet again the city has produced something special, something a cut above, something as genuinely fantastic as The Un-Calculated Some. File it next to Basement Jaxx's Rooty, Morcheeba's Big Calm, and Goldie's Timeless and get down the bookies now to put a bet on for the Mercury Music Prize 2004. Don't say you weren't told. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.