It’s only April, and Mimi Webb’s debut album, Amelia, is already a safe bet for the album of the year lists that will appear seven months from now. It contains several cracking songs – House On Fire, Ghost of You and Freezing are all big, bold, brassy songs with great hooks and cute lyrics. Some of these tracks took no less than seven writers to bring them about – what’s that about? Crazy!

By Miles Salter

Webb is part of a glut of female talent out there at the moment who appear to be on the verge of taking over – or it feels like it. The names (big and emerging) include Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Meghan Trainor, Katy Baser, Raye and more. Webb’s tracks are pithy, punchy and stripped down. Freezing barely lasts for forty seconds before you’re into another irrefutable chorus, and these are tunes that are meant to grab you. They’re hard to resist. Webb’s vocals feel authentic, with a touch of soul and grit.

This album has had a long gestation. I can imagine lots of meetings about song lists, coffees and animated discussions with A&R team members. Before I Go, released two years ago, didn’t make the album. Nor did Dumb Love or 24/5. Webb’s journey to this point must have been painstaking. Epic, her record company, have taken care with this campaign and it’s paid off – her videos are getting two million views on YouTube.

This is a strong album, and it’s not one dimensional. One of the best songs is Last Train To London, a big ballad that starts with a sad piano, with Webb’s vocals added to the fore. It’s a good break-up song, and Webb’s vocals show melancholy and strength. It’s impossible not to be moved by this track, with its honest lyrics (‘even though we made a mess, know it’s for the best’). Webb shows here that happy songs are rare things – most of her songs, like all pop, come from frustration and disappointment rather than the rarer commodity of joy. She may have felt the disappointment again recently when she was overlooked for the coveted slot of Eurovision representative. It was a shame she didn’t get it – doubtless the victim of some music business politics. She would have set the house on fire.

Miles Salter is a writer and musician based in York. He fronts the band Miles and The Chain Gang and is Director of York Alive.