[Don't] believe the hype...

Quite often, one thinks, critics are too harsh. Then again, one thinks, quite often they are far too generous. They are neither, as it happens, but as always, taste is subjective and no matter how hard you try to remember this, it's difficult not to feel a small dose of frustration when you read someone trashing something you think is fairly good.

Anyway, whether you believe it or not, Ellie Goulding's debut album (the infuriatingly blandly-named Lights) is pretty darn good. It all depends on your definition of good, obviously, but there's no denying the confidence and wealth of promise it offers. Considering just how dire the large majority of music (produced commercially or not) is, you are suddenly struck by how instantly memorable and shimmering Goulding's choruses are. Her lyrics are occasionally tainted by twee cliché but they are more often poignant and touching.

There's much improvement to be done if she's to fulfil her promise of being a truly innovative musical proposition - she could experiment with something more rhythmically loose for example, a wider instrumental palette would be interesting too (something that stretches beyond sub-dubstep synths) and collaborations with more experimental producers might produce something more rich and rewarding. But it's all entirely up to her.

If Ellie Goulding, like Little Boots before her, is determined to be mainstream and 'normal' (their words, not ours), she may fade faster than anyone could have imagined and her music may get steadily more banal and infuriating with each release. But if she's willing to take risks and use that striking and whimsical voice, knack for epic and 'rememborable' choruses and lyrical skills to craft something more adventurous. Well then she's got a hell of a lot to offer.

Lights is a flawed, fun, sweet and glittery confection that, judged entirely on its own merit, has plenty to offer and resides just slightly (like, one millimetre) to the left of mainstream. But viewed in context it works only as a starting point. The ball is, obviously, in Ellie's court, for now, though, all we can suggest is that for the meantime you bite down and enjoy.