Charlotte Church has been through several incarnations during her twenty-seven years. She started as the girl singing classical arias who’d achieved global stardom at the age of twelve, sadly but perhaps inevitably becoming prime tabloid fodder, with the red tops hoovering up pictures of her falling out of clubs and stories of her romantic life filling cheap women’s weeklies. Between then and now, there’s been everything from a big pop re-launch with singles like ‘Crazy Chick’, and a star turn at the Leveson Inquiry. Her new EP, Three, is the latest fruit from the new role she’s stepped into, that of the alternative indie chanteuse.

Wholly shunning the pop route, it sees her move further in a decidedly darker direction, distancing herself from what you may previously have thought you knew about Church with declarations that she would rather “poke her eyes out” than become a judge on the X Factor. Three couldn’t really be any less X Factor without turning the Voice Of An Angel singer into a metal act.

As is to be expected, Church makes excellent use of her voice, even touching on her roots as a classical soprano on opener ‘Sparrow’, on which she’s backed by heavily-reverbed guitars and gentle strings. The song also establishes the EP’s tendency towards distortion, with no one element really coming out clearly but each one melding with the others to create something decidedly intricate that swells and ebbs seemingly at random – another huge step away from the formulaically structured pop songs of her past.

‘I Can Dream’ is more powerful still, with classic rock-style guitar runs and huge drum smashes layered over an infectious bass line and Church’s perfectly controlled vocal, switching between forceful and delicate with a skill that’s only to be expected from someone who’s been in the business for 15 years. But it’s ‘Like A Fool’ that’s the high point; slow and introspective to being with, the persistent drum beat hints at a clout that lies dormant underneath the softly flowing vocals, which then builds until it’s unleashed with an almost unexpected ferocity by the time it’s all wrapped up.

Structurally, these songs are as far away from the mainstream pop of her previous public incarnation as it’s possible to get, leaving the feeling that all this has been done to make a very clear point. It certainly does that; it’s an ambitious, diverse and interesting collection of songs, showing a surprising and welcome depth to her as an artist. But the question remains, is Three a genuine reflection of her musical talent and direction, or just another path taken by an artist who hasn’t quite found her bearings yet? We may have to wait for an album to find out.