Dido

Providing the hook for Eminem’s murder ballad ”˜Stan’ is an odd way for a gentle English singer to launch a career. But Dido’s featherweight soul has always harboured a dark side, and her third set expands her wine-bar sound with shadows. Co-producer Jon Brion adds cinematic breadth to songs about emotional crossroads: The strings-laden ”˜Never Want to Say It’s Love’ finds the singer gulping pills, and the Celtic brooder ”˜Grafton Street,’ co-written with Brian Eno, recalls Peter Gabriel’s ”˜Mercy Street.’ Dido’s voice is so comforting, you almost miss the blues it conceals.