Rebecca Ferguson: Heaven – review

Given this autumn's saturation of albums by X Factor alumni, you'd be forgiven for sidestepping the debut from last year's runner-up. For shame! Tugging profoundly on bittersweet 60s soul and Motown, Heaven is a fine album and, unlike Matt Cardle's oeuvre, notably free of Gary Barlow's pen, with Ferguson co-writing the majority. The only dud is "Run Free", which Ferguson sounds uncomfortable singing. But she more than makes up for it with the pervasive sadness of soul ballad "Shoulder to Shoulder", a song that neatly frames the bitter cycle of break ups. Ferguson's shtick, of course, is her voice, and here, unfettered by Auto‑Tune, it sounds wonderfully brassy, which sadly accentuates the lack of vocal disparity on this year's show.