Having won a huge fanbase with her debut album On How Life Is and lost a fair chunk of it with the lacklustre followup The Id, Macy Gray has made a welcome return to form. And if nothing here is likely to be as big a hit as 'I Try', its party-like atmosphere and general joie de vivre makes The Trouble With Being Myself a very hard album to dislike. Perhaps stung by the accusations that she's a one-trick pony, Gray has taken the opportunity to experiment with a wide variety of styles, from ska to electro-funk - and thanks to a super-slick production, she manages to carry most of them off with ease. It's her vocals, however, that really steal the show, a peculiar cross between a gurgle and cackle that makes her sound peculiarly vulnerable even when she's singing relatively upbeat material. Assured, stylish and impeccably funky, this is by some distance the most impressive comeback of the year so far.

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