Shirley, Shirley, Shirley. Love her or hate her, the woman is a legend. Take a look at the cover of her latest album. She’s 72 years old and you could easily mistake her for a woman in her late 30s. Listen to her latest album and amazingly her voice is as strong as it was back in 1957.

Although this is a brand new album of brand new songs from Dame Shirley, it sounds exactly as you’d expect it to sound. She doesn’t have to try anything new; she is what she is and if even if she did attempt a different direction with this album it probably wouldn’t be remotely credible. She isn’t going to start covering Eminem – she’s going to sing huge numbers that show off her massive voice. We knew that. So what is there to say about the album?

The first track, Almost There, is a bit slow-going – but things start to perk up a bit with Apartment. It’s a pretty modern-sounding number, there’s a bit of a Latin-pop style tinge to it, and Shirley sings gaily about how much she needs an apartment of her own. This is a little bewildering as she must have more than one mansion knocking about the place, why she’d want to live in a poxy little apartment is anyone’s guess. No matter, the song is a true highlight of the album and probably her most relevant recording of recent years.

The big angst-fuelled number of the album is No Good About Goodbye. I must say I do have a bit of a guilty pleasure where songs about heartbreak are concerned, and this song is no exception. The Girl From Tiger Bay is a sweet autobiographical piece and provides a healthy dollop of nostalgia about the area that Dame Shirley grew up in and how, no matter what she’s become, in her heart she’ll always just be the girl from Tiger Bay. The final highlight of the album is After The Rain – a very toned-down and controlled ballad – but it’s the simplicity of the song that makes it so powerful.

In all, there are no surprises from the album. It sounds exactly as you’d expect a Dame Shirley Bassey album to sound. Respect where it’s due, though – after fifty years in the music industry she still has a voice that could melt ice. There’s no doubt this album will fly off the shelves, especially in the run-up to Christmas. Buy it for your grandma – but sneakily put it on your iPod before you wrap it up for her. Go on. Nobody will mind. You might even like it.