K. Page Stuart is easy to pigeonhole. She's a female singer-songwriter living in New York, is also a poet, is friends with Antony Hegarty, has performed in coffee-houses, had residencies at artist's colonies and releases on an artist-run collective label, Realpolitik Records. See that mental picture? She's Regina Spektor or Fiona Apple; a chanteuse known as much for her acquaintance as her music. But Spektor (with Samson from Songs) and Apple (with Parting Gift from Extraordinary Machine) have both grabbed my attention above and beyond simply their reputation.

So, with background aside, how does Stuart's music stack up? Well, it's different. A more apt comparison is Springtime Can Kill You-era Jolie Holland. Stuart's vocal stylings don't quite have the same polarising twists and turns as Holland, but the jazzy feel of bits of that album approaches the deep, free jazz feel of Green City.

And Stuart's vocals, because that is what the album is all about, have their own listener-dividing quality - her seeming inability to hit a note and hold it. This isn't because she lacks the talent, but it's an affectation born of youth and an experimental mind. She's always hitting a note and then wandering around it, pushing up a semitone, or more likely down a tone to the major seventh - always a wonderfully tangy, jazzy note, but one that, when stripped of the virtue of surprise, loses impact.

Stuart shows off her actual voice to best effect on Beyond Right and Wrong - singing a capella with herself multi-tracked as backing vocal. It's a nice performance in range and tone, but is undermined a little by the beat-poet backing: "stop stop stop stop stop stop", with campy intonation. And what it does highlight, unfortunately, is that her voice has little inherent interest. It's too pure, lacking the interesting intonation of Holland or even Björk; the latter being, as seems de rigeur amongst female vocalists, mentioned in the press release. Her over-elaborate pitch wanderings are an attempt to find some appealing niche for herself, but it doesn't quite work. Matched with the album's tendency to have her always at the front of the mix, carrying the song, it wears on the ears.

But this is too tough on her. It's not all bad, by any stretch. The highlight of the album is the poppiest track, Mindfucker. A funky backing and a slow-down into a deep groove in the coda/chorus are most enjoyable, despite the naive lyrics: "my six-year-old brother said the girls are naked on TV/ and it's not like being naked is the only thing that's sexy". Another upbeat track, Naked and Naive, is similarly good. And Long Distance Swimmer is probably where Stuart's voice is used to best effect, soaring above and through the murky seaside backing.

Green City is an interesting debut, with plenty going for it, but just missing the mark. Improved songwriting will help, but more comfort and restraint with her impressive voice-box will make Stuart an artist to watch.