Solange: 'Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams'

"I'm not her and I never will be," Solange sings on this album's opening track, clearly hoping to get the comparisons with her sister out the way early on. But it's difficult not to think of Beyoncé while listening to Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams. Solange's voice often recalls that of her more celebrated sibling, and it's unlikely that she'd manage to assemble such a crack team of collaborators - The Neptunes, Mark Ronson and Gnarls Barkley's Cee-Lo Green all contribute here - were it not for the sizeable pull of the Knowles name.

But, then again, it's easy to see why Solange would find the constant comparisons frustrating, not least because Sol-Angel is a very different beast to a Beyoncé album. It's quirkier, less focused and actually rather more adventurous than anything Big Sis has put her name to. Beyoncé certainly wouldn't crack a joke about sounding high, as Solange does on the album's opening track. Nor would she liken herself to a sandcastle - how undignified! - as Solange does on one of Sol-Angel's best songs. And Beyoncé certainly wouldn't bump up her album's running time with two (fairly) experimental electro epics that clock in at six minutes apiece.

This album may have its idiosyncrasies, but that's not to say it lacks a unifying aim. "I would like to think that [Sol-Angel] is as if The Supremes, The Marvelettes, Dusty Springfield and Minnie Riperton were to make the music they did in the 60s and 70s now," Solange wrote on her MySpace page recently. In practice this means that it sounds like vintage Motown, but with crisp, modern beats and the occasional electronic flourish. Solange pays tribute to the era with reverence, sampling the hand-claps from 'Where Did Our Love Go' on 'I Decided', co-writing several songs with Motown hitmaker Lamont Dozier and even naming one track 'Ode To Marvin'.

Of course, Motown-influenced albums are ten a penny at the moment, but Sol-Angel stands out because its songs are so infectious. The Freemasons' remix of 'I Decided', which lacquers a generous helping of pop gloss onto the spare, doo-woppy original, is undoubtedly the standout, but the likes of 'Sandcastle Disco', 'Would've Been The One' and 'T.O.N.Y.' have melody and exuberance to burn. Solange brings a very modern attitude to these classic-sounding songs, sometimes sounding vulnerable and insecure, but also coming across sexy, self-possessed and feisty. "I still refuse to call his ass", she sings on a track called 'T.O.N.Y.' We never got that from Diana Ross.

Sol-Angel isn't without its faults - some of the tracks in the middle veer perilously close to midtempo blandness, and those electro epics don't sit very comfortably with the rest of the album. But by the end Solange has managed to charm, entertain and offer copious evidence that she's got an ear for a decent chorus. She's also taken her first tentative steps out of Beyoncé's shadow, which is ultimately why Sol-Angel should be deemed a success.