YOU often find that debut records by singer-songwriters tend to be stripped back.

If a solo artist has a strong and distinctive singing style then that is often all it takes to capture the public's imagination.

The testing ground only really comes with the 'difficult' second album where they have to build on that success.

That has certainly been the case for Lianne La Havas, who made her breakthrough in 2012 with her top five record, Is Your Love Big Enough?

If making a follow-up record is a test, then La Havas has surely passed.

Her new album, Blood, is a bolder and more confident offering without losing any of her early flair and accessibility in the process.

The record was inspired by La Havas's journey tracing her roots which are part Jamaican and part Greek.

Perhaps that is why Blood is a more diverse than her previous work.

The record starts as it means to go on with Unstoppable, an anthemic opening song that pulls you in straight away.

Other highlights include Midnight, a big tune with piano and brass, and Never Get Enough, a surprisingly dark tinged rock song.

It would not be a La Havas album without a love song and that is provided with the upbeat What You Don't Do.

And the record closes with the delicate Good Goodbye, a reminder that the Ivor Novello nominated singer has a real strength for intimate acoustic numbers.