Fridae

Don't mistake Dido for Sarah McLachlan, because although their voices sound oddly alike, they are two different people from two different continents. What? You already know the difference between the two? Oh well, then I guess it's just me.

When I first heard "Here With Me" blaring through US airwaves a year or so ago, I could have sworn that dear Sarah released a new single with a different take on things. The track was trip-hoppy yet radio-palatable� sweet yet trance-inducing. Phrases like "I don't want to move a thing/It might change my memory" got stuck in my head for the longest time.

I only realized that this was someone hailing from the UK when she threw a concert (absurdly titled "Lodido") in the minuscule Northern California town of Lodi. Like the little wine grape-producing town, Dido was still relatively unknown to the world.

Apart from her songs being used in movie trailers and TV series, her popularity only reemerged when rapper Eminem sampled the first few lines of her song "Thank You" (which actually is a positive-reinforcement-for-the-hopeless song) on his Grammy-nominated "Stan".

No Angel is an amalgamation of pop, soul, folk, and trip-hop (thanks to her brother Rollo from the band Faithless) rolled into a pleasing package. Other tracks that you may recognize instantly are "Don't Think of Me" and the poignant "All You Want" (All you want is right here in this room�All you need is sitting here with you.)

Although many may insist that Dido's a straight off carbon copy of McLachlan, I suggest that you give her a break and listen to what she has to say.

She's no angel, but it doesn't mean that she can't try.