Blastoma

The second album from Papua New Guinea-born singer Ngaiire (pronounced Ny-rie) may be a step in a more commercial direction, but it’s one that has seen the Australia-based vocalist successfully break through to a wider, younger audience. Named after the cancer that she overcame in her childhood, Blastoma continues Ngaiire’s eclectic journey into neo-soul, with an added dose of danceable electronics and even a touch of gospel.

With grooves sculpted by Sydney electro-pop producer Paul Mac, as well as Aussie collaborators Megan Washington and Jack Grace, Ngaiire’s vocals and video moves can hold their own against the likes of MIA or Beyoncé, and the singles ‘Once’, ‘Diggin’ and ‘House on the Rock’ have all already charted in Oz.

But it’s on the confessional ‘Many Things’, and the glorious choir-backed ‘Fall into my Arms’ – which would sound at home in any church revival service – that Ngaiire’s remarkable voice reaches its full potential. As with her 2013 debut album, Lamentations, musical references to her PNG heritage are few and far between (unless you count the electronic mock-log drumming on ‘Diggin’), but Ngaiire is choosing her own path, and so far it’s working out pretty well for her.