Dua Lipa - Dua Lipa

The Guardian 60

(Warner)

Originally slated for release last September and then again for February, rising British-Albanian singer Dua Lipa delayed her debut album in part to include some “exciting collaborations”. Presumably she was referring not only to the presence of R&B smoothie Miguel but Chris Martin, with whom she duets on Homesick, a tearjerky piano ballad that pleasingly mixes her smoky mid-range vocal with Martin’s crooning. While that isn’t exactly the slick, Capital FM-ready synth-pop she’s best known for, you can see why Lipa held out. Being that she is a young female singer trying to stand out among the glut of artists ploughing similar furrows, Martin’s presence does add clout to proceedings – albeit of the John Lewis ad kind.

Elsewhere, she’s doing what she does best: New Rules and Hotter Than Hell are infused with EDM and tropical house without sounding too consciously trend-chasing, while Blow Your Mind (Mwah) is an unapologetically in-your-face three minutes of pop that is strong and stylish. Despite a few generic offerings (No Goodbyes is mostly just the singer breathily uttering the words “don’t go back” on loop), this is a solid pop debut that is high on summery nonchalance.