If the likes of Regina Spektor, Joan As Policewoman, and St Vincent have made an impact here, I'm surprised that Essie Jain hasn't already made more of a splash with this hauntingly arresting debut that gets a release a full year after being unveiled in the US. In fact, her follow up is available there in around a month's time, and it's good to know that there is already more to come if this is anything to go by. We Brits have some claim to her though, as she was raised in London before pitching camp in New York.At times it's warm and comforting, at others disturbingly touching with bare frailty, but consistently very intimate and understated - which is where it finds a distinct niche compared with the previously mentioned artists. And yet this album never fades into 'background music' - the songs are too good and the delivery too direct and distinct. Jain's voice has an open rounded baroque tone, with a clarity perhaps influenced by her classical training but thankfully retaining an emotional edge. Another touchstone would be folk goddesses Sandy Denny and Vashti Bunyan, though personally my first (warped?) thought was of a resemblance to St Vincent without all the accompanying bag of tricks. In fact, perhaps the album is most characterised by the minimalist accompaniment that makes that comparison almost ludicrous. A single piano, strummed acoustic guitar, or crying violin usually leave the stage bare for Jain's voice to wash over and engulf you. This makes any flourish, such as the subtle French horns forming the climactic flourish to 'Haze' or the string quartet of 'Sailor' seem twice as vigorous and rich fare indeed. That string arrangement supports a common feature - the multi-tracked self-harmonising that is an a cappella backbone to the song. Here it is at its most striking.The deliberate distance her stiff upper lipped sheen of restraint puts on the songs belies their content - stark appraisals of broken down relationships and morose resignation at everything from politicians ("The order of things now is chaos" from 'Haze') to alcoholic lovers ('Loaded'). Only occasionally does her low key manner actually crack - as witnessed by the repeated "Shut up, shut up" lines of 'Talking' or the "I will drag you, I will haul you, I will pull you, I will slide you, I will leave you" spiral of frustration from 'Loaded'. You might have noticed a trend by now - all ten tracks have single word titles that continue the sparse approach. 'Indefinable' is downright spooky with slowly stretched plaintive words over plucked guitar, and is followed by a lo-fi waltz in 'Grace'. One for the few tracks to bloom into more conventional fuller sounds is 'Give' when three instruments combining at once make a comparative crowd as they carry the delicate melody.Rarely has melancholy been more beautiful. A captivating treat. 78%mp3:> Essie Jain: 'Disgrace'Links Essie Jain [official site] [myspace]