The Duke Spirit, Neptune

Label: You Are Here

What with the ongoing wave of hugely successful homegrown soul divas, it’s been an eternity since we were last blessed with an authentic rock-chick personality.

But The Duke Spirit’s Liela Moss may change that, possessing not just a powerful set of pipes but also the spirit to duke it out (so to speak) with a rock band playing full-tilt at full volume.

There’s a stern presence to her delivery of songs such as “The Step And The Walk”, and particularly the single “Send A Little Love Token”; and with her odd dialect twist – part-Cockney, part- European – she sounds at times like a bluesier Siouxsie.

Fortunately, she’s acquired a band to match her personality, equally adept at the Nirvana- esque intimacy of “Wooden Heart” and the melancholy pop of “My Sunken Treasure”.

To order any CD previewed here, call the Independent Music Service on 01634 832 789.