Curiouser was an ambitious album to dream up for Kate Miller-Heidke following the huge success of Little Eve in 2007. It radiates a newfound sense of certainty from the first song.

The One Thing I Know is a clever mix of primal percussion, stomp box, ‘80s synth and intriguing sound effects. Add to that Kate’s brilliant operatic interjections and you’ve got a powerful and emotional opening track.

The weirdly tangled mix of exuberance and invention rolls on in the tracks God’s Gift To Women, No Truck and I Like You Better When You’re Not Around. Then comes Can’t Shake It, a booty-swinging tune about a booty that just won’t swing. Something only brilliant voices like Kate Miller-Heidke or the other Kate (Bush) can deliver.

Caught In The Crowd is a different kind of song, with a tug of heartstrings between the gently calming texture of the music and the familiar story of lingering childhood regret. The End Of School captures an elusive blend of optimism and lamentation blended with vocal imagery and an amazing chorus. There are simpler songs of pure, translucent emotion on this album also – Our Song and The Last Day On Earth both describe the indestructible power of love in the most fragile and finite surrounds, the eternal calm, between the Little Eve reminders in Motorscooter and Supergirl.

Curiouser is a fine offering with operatic highlights, roller coaster emotions and profound lyric writing that we have come to expect from Kate. Curiouser is a little less of the erratic and a bit more of the melodic storytelling. This album leaves us with high expectations of what’s still to come from this amazingly talented artist.

Kate Miller-Heidke’s Curiouser is out now through Sony BMG.

Read our interview with Kate Miller-Heidke here.