Smooth, soulful and everso sixties – Martina Topley-Bird’s Poison provides seductive elegance.

Culminating in just under three minutes, it’s also a short trip. Featuring the production skills of Danger Mouse, the levels are already set evidently high as the song begins. It stays away from the near inevitability of recording in mono for the ‘authentic’ touch, but the soulful groove that was synonymous of the early sixties is prevalent throughout.

The rather opaque lyrics are also there. Whilst clearly stating a bad relationship “I can only love you/It feels like poison,” it hardly gives anything away either. Admittedly, it doesn’t have to tell you everything, but it does seem to stunt the emotional attachment to the song that many would be seeking.

It leaves a mysterious and slightly alluring quality in its wake that wants to work, but due to the coy nature of the lyric construction, there’s a distinct level of emotion and feeling that is missing as a result. Granted, in today’s day and age there aren’t many social boundaries left to smash through, but maybe this track suffers from just too much innocence.

On her latest LP, The Blue God, Poison sits in well as the album slowly twists, turns and flows in an utterly convincing manner. When you take the tune out of its comfortable habitat, it seems to get a little lost within the bold, brash world that we exist within.