"Off I go singin' a different tune."

Siobhan Donaghy
Ghosts.

One of the best albums I have ever listened to is Ghosts by English singer-songwriter Siobhan Donaghy. Released in 2007 when Donaghy was just 22, Ghosts retains its quality seven years on.  It is no less than a work of craftsmanship that, unlike most pop music, actually demands the attention of its listeners.

Watching and reading interviews from that time, one gets the sense that recording Ghosts was a very intense experience, emotionally and creatively. It was certainly one of isolation. The album was made in the North of France with producer James Sanger. Cloistered from media and the then current pop climate, Donaghy was free to choose her own influences and direction.

To be honest the album took a while to grow on me. I did not know what to make of it, having only known of Siobhan previously as the girl who sang "Overload" in the first incarnation of the Sugababes.  Not living in the U.K., I'd had no awareness of her solo career until I stumbled on the music video for "Don't Give it Up", the first single from Ghosts.  From there, I slowly got to know her post-girl group output. Suffice it to say that I fell in love with almost everything I heard.

I can't think of many other recording artists who release a concept album at 22. The sheer creative  ambition that Donaghy shows here is nothing less than inspiring.  The thread that holds the album together is intensity. Themes of struggle and desperation abound followed by a yearning to overcome. Genre-wise, I would classify this as a sort of dream-pop. The sound of Ghosts vary from oneiric and ethereal to frankly nightmarish.

One extraordinary piece of nightmare-pop is "Medevac", a powerful account of producer Jame Sanger's struggle with heroin addiction. In this, Siobhan delivers her most arresting vocals on the album. The whole thing rises to an incredible crescendo before being snuffed out like a candle.

On the oneiric side of things we have the title track "Ghosts". Distorted and weird, the vocals are recorded backwards for the verses.  The chorus is very Lord of the Rings "...sworn under an oath to war,". "Halcyon Days" is gentle slumber of a song that soothes the wounds of previous tracks. "Goldfish"  is an aqueous number that stands out as the album's most metaphysical entry. "Coming up for air" is an introspective song that mulls over the task of not being miserable for a change. "There's a place" is a heartfelt declaration of friendship and support that manages to avoid being even a little saccharine. "Don't Give it up" is a direct offer of encouragement to someone who's suffering, with neither pity nor judgement.

It's not all doom and gloom however. The somewhat country "12-bar Acid Blues" shows a wry sense of humour and an endearing wackiness. "Sometimes" is reminiscent of Kylie Minogue at her best and should have been considered as a single, in my humble opinion.

There is also a pair of 'relationship-y' songs on Ghosts. "So You Say" is a glorious guitar driven song where the two sides of Siobhan's voice are showcased quite nicely: the soft-spoken side and the belter. "Make It Right" is a song about culpability and hindsight, taking blame instead of casting it.

Siobhan's musical collaboration with Sanger is beautifully framed by her visual collaboration with photographer/director Floria Sigismondi. The artwork accompanying Ghosts fits the other-worldly tone of the album perfectly. Siobhan is presented as a beguiling, slightly distorted figure.

In a day and age where so many albums amount to a couple of singles padded out with filler, Ghosts is a welcome relief. It stands as an example to any aspiring recording artist of what's possible with the right combination of creativity and integrity.