As a teenager I frequently found myself flicking through the TV, blissfully unaware of what was going on around me. On such a morning I stumbled across a rare prime-time slot for Thea Gilmore. A then blossoming singer-songwriter, she was promoting 1998’s Burning Dorothy ­­­– a debut raw with passion and sincerity. Since that day I’ve kept a keen lookout for the Oxford native, and reaped the benefit. While others have proved themselves intermittent, Gilmore has always been a consistent and socially intellectual source of good music. By all means, she’s a welcome diamond in the rough.

Eleventh studio album Murphy’s Heart puts Gilmore’s talents down on the line. It embodies all that she’s done right in the past, and discards her few wrongs. One of Gilmore’s greatest charms is her ability to write English wit into concise prose, filled with sarcasm and a sense of false adoration. While opener ‘This Town’ is dedicated to all those who have failed to follow their dreams, ‘God’s Got Nothing On You’ mocks an unnamed egotist. Elsewhere ‘Not Alone’ and ‘Mexico’ portray her amazing versatility. Much like Aimee Mann, Gilmore puts insightful quips to record with perfect flair.

Not only does Murphy’s Heart highlight Gilmore’s song writing capabilities, it also pays homage to a musically important era; the album’s rich, frank and painstakingly emotional outbursts are comparable to the soulful blues of the Afro-American movement of the 1940’s. On each song the musician’s empowering vocals wrap around her guitar with such a discontented wrath, it’s impossible not to be carried away with the temperament. Suitably, the road-weary blues of Murphy’s Heart conjures up the image of a woman torn, but never defeated.

Admittedly several of Gilmore’s previous efforts have failed to make their mark. Some have been over produced, some under, and others have simply been uninspired. Murphy’s Heart finally cements this lady’s sheer talent, and proves her ability to write a piece of music that far rivals her peers. This is a contemporary revolution, but one that draws inspiration from a heartache that has plagued humanity since the beginning of time. Utterly unchallengeable.