Fergie

Stacy Ferguson had worked in television and with the vocal group Wild Orchid before joining the Black Eyed Peas. Those earlier settings help explain the flexibility of the solo debut, The Dutchess, released in 2006. London Bridge and Fergalicious make the rhythmic confidence immediately clear, with short vocal phrases becoming part of the beat. The performances are bold and deliberately theatrical, but they are also carefully placed.

Glamorous, featuring Ludacris, takes a smoother route, while Big Girls Don’t Cry changes the frame altogether. The acoustic-pop setting leaves more of the melodic line exposed. Hearing those songs together makes the album more than a collection of emphatic club singles: the contrast between its modes is one of its main ideas.

Clumsy adds another kind of rhythmic play, using a compact, slightly off-centre hook to create its own momentum. The song does not need the same force as London Bridge to make an impression. That ability to alter the pressure of the performance is a useful way into the catalogue. Later solo work, including Double Dutchess, extends the range, but the first album remains a particularly clear account of how versatile a mainstream pop voice could be in the mid-2000s. Listen to the differences in articulation, the balance of sung and spoken phrases and the way each arrangement leaves room for another character to emerge. The songs do not all ask for the same kind of attention, and they are stronger for it.