Caro Emerald
came out of nowhere in 2009 with the summertime hit
"Back It Up,"
a catchy jazz-pop song with a dance beat. The follow-up single,
"A Night Like This,"
was an even bigger hit, topping the Dutch charts. By the time
Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor
came around,
Emerald
was well established as one of the most exciting new artists to emerge from the Netherlands in some time, and her full-length album debut was eagerly awaited. It includes the smash hit singles
"Back It Up"
and
both written by
Vincent de Giorgio
,
David Schreurs
, and
Jan van Wieringen
. The latter two Dutchmen are
's producers. They released
on their Amsterdam label
Grandmono Records
. In addition to the pair of singles, the album includes ten new songs quite varied in style.
"Just One Dance"
is straight dance-pop with dashes of jazz, and
"The Lipstick on His Collar"
draws from both
Amy Winehouse
circa
Back to Black
(2006) and
Portishead
Dummy
(1994).
"The Other Woman"
is another song that brings to mind
Winehouse
. Other songs like
"Dr. Wanna Do"
go heavy on the jazz.
is a talented singer and she sings in English well, but in the end, the varied jazz-pop productions and the slick dance beats are what set her apart from the crowd. Fans of the initial singles should find plenty else to enjoy on
, which finds
trying out a number of different jazz-pop styles. ~ Jason Birchmeier