Mutya Buena: 'Just A Little Bit'

Poor old Mutya Buena. Is she to be an R'n'B crooner, a soul diva, or a genre-smashing disco-pop babe? Will she become the next Kylie or more worryingly for her (and us) the next Louise? Well it's quite clear the record company haven't got answers to these pertinent pop queries because 'Just A Little Bit' sees the ex-Sugababe take several steps back after her rave-tastic, synths-at-the-ready last single 'Song For Mutya'. Buena has retreated to safer ground with a single that harks back to the earliest Sugababes work with its delicate and tender approach.

'Just A Little Bit' takes a laid-back jazz beat, some funked-up guitar twangs, and the sort of easy listening rhythm that TLC and En Vogue used to toss about willy-nilly 15 years ago. While it's splendid to hear Buena deliver her delicious dulcet tones without Groove Armada sticking their oars in, there is more than a faint whiff of '90s nostalgia about the tune. So much so that you half expect Easther and Vernie from Eternal to join in with the harmonies at one point. It lacks that killer pop hook to make it anything more than a decent album track, but don't give up on Mutya yet - we haven't.