Julia Fordham

With such stunning songs such as "Island," "Lock and Key," and the title track, Julia Fordham is in top form on her second album. Her vocal prowess proved to be strong enough to earn her numerous comparisons to Joni Mitchell, and the songs rise like thick plums of smoke in a dark jazz club. This is Fordham's best album.

Far more brazen than anything even Sade has tried, Julia Fordham's Porcelain is a classic
example of second-generation international pop. Whereas cultural adventurers like David
Byrne fully submerge themselves in foreign genres, Fordham is a casual tourist – she
selects the most alluring elements of New Age, contemporary jazz, world music and
Seventies balladry and arranges them like so many flowers. As a result, the surfa... More >