No Angel [Enhanced, Extra tracks]

Dido's debut is moulded from Sarah McLachlan's intimate soul, Sinead O'Connor's Celtic yelp, and Beth Orton's morose resolve--with all the sharp edges rounded out. Sculpted by producers Rollo (her brother) and techno-scientist Youth, No Angel is dream-pop mixed with Portishead-esque trip-hop; the results are mid-tempo ballads that would feel at home in Seal's neighbourhood. The melancholy opener, "Here With Me", incorporates acoustic rhythm guitar, fluid strings and a snare-driven tempo that simulates the slapping of rain on a windscreen. "My Lover's Gone" is ethereal and misty, sounding at once ancient and modern with its synthesised ocean sounds and seagull cries. The only clunker is "Don't Think of Me", a passive, soft-bellied cousin to Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know". These songs play out beautifully in that quiet zone between slumber and consciousness--where you can see everything behind closed eyes. --Beth Massa

Dido's debut is moulded from Sarah McLachlan's intimate soul, Sinead O'Connor's Celtic yelp and Beth Orton's morose resolve--with all the sharp edges rounded out. Sculpted by producers Rollo (her brother) and techno-scientist Youth, No Angel is dream-pop mixed with Portishead-esque trip-hop; the results are mid-tempo ballads that would feel at home in Seal's neighbourhood. The melancholy opener, "Here With Me", incorporates acoustic rhythm guitar, fluid strings and a snare-driven tempo that simulates the slapping of rain on a windscreen. "My Lover's Gone" is ethereal and misty, sounding at once ancient and modern with its synthesised ocean sounds and seagull cries. The only clunker is "Don't Think of Me", a passive, soft-bellied cousin to Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know". These songs play out beautifully in that quiet zone between slumber and consciousness--where you can see everything behind closed eyes. --Beth Massa

Dido's career could have easily been so very different, as she was halfway through a law degree before the call of the music industry proved lure enough for her to quit her education. Subsequently she worked with (her brother) Rollo Armstrong’s band, Faithless, but this debut solo album failed to attract widespread attention until fate intervened in the form of an Eminem single. Samples from her Thank You song featured heavily on the rapper’s 2000 international hit, Stan. The knock-on effect was one of increased sales and worldwide recognition, and No Angel went on to grace the coffee tables of millions in 2001.

Dido’s debut remains a shiny and polished effort full of comforting verse-chorus-verse structures that draw on everyday woes, none too specific so as to happily sit with the extremely casual record-buyer. We look on as Dido stalkerishly watches her lover while he sleeps on All You Want; has vivid dreams of a life without him on Here With Me; liberates herself from a pedestal on Hunter; and, on album-closer My Life, finally regains control over the situation. It's the album's bittersweet hurrah, concluding proceedings just like the consumable romantic comedy it seems to ape.

Folk-pop is the staple style, with occasional synth-plonks added to the mix to disguise its use of convenient rhyme and emphasise the fleetingly manic depression of the content. With Dido's vocals deliberately cloudy and nasal, the relationship merry-go-round of the wordplay becomes even easier to digest. Take Honestly OK, which touches on Beth Orton's folk-tronica and Faithless' trip-hop but is so apologetic that, for all its intentions, fares even beiger than its forbearers The lyrics ooze platitudes, pottering along their path of well-trodden faux-misery.

While there's little variation in No Angel's material, its songs do their jobs diligently. But that's exactly the problem – it’s all so constructed. A passive-aggressive protagonist sits neatly atop the maximum-gloss backing tracks, insipidly whimpering to someone who isn't really listening. In a parallel world, it's hard to imagine this album being listened to as anything more than background music. What we hoped for, then, was action and movement from listening to this fluid slice of MOR, evolution and innovation rather than any wallowing in the synthesised stasis it bathes in. So far, so sort of. --Natalie Shaw

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Debut album by Dido Armstrong, sister of Faithless mainman Rollo. Melodic, adult-orientated pop music, influenced by folk, soul and contemporary dance. Features two top 5 singles,one of which, 'Thank You', was sampled by Eminem for his hit 'Stan'. Note: Track 13 and 14 are enhanced videos.

DIDO No Angel (2001 UK Special Edition enhanced 14-track CD album. Special edition of this hugely successful debut album which features the bonus track Take My Hand plus CD-Rom videos for Here With Me & Thank You picture sleeve)