Ellie Goulding: 'The Writer'

Elena Jane Goulding's not having too shabby a year. Not only the winner of the BBC's Sound of 2010 poll and the Critic's Choice prize at the Brits, the 23-year-old saw her debut LP, Lights, hit the top spot after spawning the top five smash 'Starry Eyed'. Follow-up single 'Guns and Horses' may have not proved quite as successful, but the Herefordshire lass isn't ready for a rest just yet, releasing 'The Writer' as the disc's fourth single.

Well, this electro-folky-pop ballad certainly isn't, as Kylie would doubtless agree, a song for the all the lovers - in fact, Goulding's admitted that it's the most "personal and emotional" thing she's written. Starsmith's typically twinkly production allows those vocals to shine through as she urges a potential boyfriend to help her become just the right kinda gal for him - and the overall effect is as sweet and pretty as a pink frosted cupcake. Will it return Goulding to the top ten? Probably not, but it should earn her a few new fans and keep those all-important album sales clocking up nicely.


> Click here to read our review of Lights