(Drabant)

Sublime vocals, thoughtful lyrics, beautiful arrangements, there’s something of a lazy Sunday morning about Jess Morgan’s work.

This is an album you can slip on after breakfast in bed, as you read through the papers while brushing toast crumbs off the sheets. It doesn’t shake you into getting up and doing something more active, but lulls you into a state of contended bliss, which is as it should be.

In fact, even the more upbeat track Hymn in the Morning is a reflection on the morning after the night before, when you realise that you can’t party as hard as you did in the days of youth, and share your recovery alongside someone you love.

You might initially draw vocal comparisons to Norah Jones and Katie Melua in Jess’ voice, but listen longer and her own identity shines through, with an emotional side to her singing that fills you with a sense of hope for the future of music in the face of endless manufactured bands and artists dragged from reality TV shows.

Very much part of the new wave of country folk which permeates throughout Radio 2 playlists, Jess manages to produce songs which are lyrically challenging, yet understated, with a musical edge that doesn’t threaten, but embraces like a hug. It’s comfortable, but cerebral, and that’s a combination which works remarkably well, being easy listening for all the right reasons.