Katie Melua: 'The Flood'

"No, I'm not afraid of changing," Katie Melua sings on the first verse of 'The Flood' – and there's no doubting her sincerity. Having cut loose from her musical mentor, Mike 'Remember You're A Womble' Batt, her upcoming album, The House, finds her teaming up with trendy electro producer William Orbit and co-writing with Guy Chambers, Lauren Christy from The Matrix and Polly Scattergood. Not unsurprisingly, this lead single has nothing whatsoever to do with the number of pedal-driven vehicles in an over-populated Chinese city.

Instead, it's an optimistic paean to the power of, well, change. "When the world begins to crumble, why'd you feel you have to hold on?" Melua inquires, before goading: "Imagine if you let go..." Musically, 'The Flood' is no less intriguing, beginning as an atmospheric, Middle Eastern-tinged pop ballad before morphing into something altogether sprightlier after a surprising mid-song tempo change. The result? Supremely elegant and subtly adventurous at the same time, suggesting Melua snipped those apron strings at precisely the right time.


> Click here to watch Katie Melua's video for 'The Flood'