Ida in the house

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AS AN album opener, there couldn't be a much better introduction to Norwegian Ida Maria than Oh My God.

The blistering single, which sounds like The Ramones fronted by Bjork, may be the high point of the album plonked right at the start, but don't let that put you off - Oh My God is one of my musical high points of the year so far.

And the rest of the album isn't too far behind, although the pace does slow though towards the end of the album - which is hardly surprising considering the breakneck speed she sets about some of the earlier numbers.

Ida, who suffers from synesthesia - a condition which inestricably links the senses, in her case her sight and hearing - unashamedly writes "pop" songs.

And pretty well too, when you consider out of the ten tracks here, a whopping five - Oh My God, Drive Away My Heart, Stella, Queen of the World and I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked - have already been put out as singles.