Solange - Sol Angel and the Hadley St Dreams (Geffen)

So your big sister is Beyonce, one of the biggest pop stars in the world. What do you do? Open that bakery you’ve always fancied? Go help the poor kids in war-torn African states? No, of course not, you go into pop music. Knowles the younger has sidestepped her sister’s chicken in a basket soul swooning for something infinitely more untidy, but ultimately more appealing.

Conscious of the job ahead, Solange has drafted in a typically bulky raft of heavyweights to create a palette of power pop soul shades to draw on – Gnarls Barkley, Mark Ronson, Q-Tip, Lil Wayne, Neptunes, Jack Slash, Motown legend Lamont Dozier – she even finds time to sample Boards of Canada (!?!) on spectral ballad ‘This Bird’.

Solange is a 21st century soul singer, drawing on Stax soul sensibilities and mainstream hip hop’s knowing brandism, all packaged up in some retro soul stylisings that are equal parts Erykah Badu, Kanye West and Diana Ross. We gave America Duffy, Winehouse and Estelle, they hit back with their own soul princess. Her big sis should be at least a little nervous.