[Yesterday, Gabriella Cilmi’s debut was released on iTunes here in the U.S., so I’m updating this post from last June.]

The UK is at it again, directing our attention to yet another raven-haired beauty who can belt with the best of ’em. By now, the sonic evidence would suggest a factory somewhere, churning out trilling lasses for the masses. While Gabriella Cilmi joins her present-day counterparts Amy Winehouse, Duffy, and Adele in setting the sonic wayback machine, Cilmi’s debut, Lessons To Be Learned, is packed with more than soul transported from long ago.

Hailing from Australia (a geographical point of difference), Cilmi was discovered at age 13, singing “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” at a local festival. A year later, she had a record contract and was working with Xenomania, the production team responsible for Girls Aloud and Sugababes smashes. Cilmi spent three years crafting her debut, and true to Xenomania’s track record, Lessons To Be Learned is a well-rounded disc that doesn’t settle into one groove for too long (another move that separates Cilmi from her chart contemporaries).

This kitchen-sink approach allows Cilmi to showcase her range, from stomping pop (“Don’t Want To Go To Bed Now”) and Spectorian heartbreak (“Got No Place To Go”) to torch balladry (“Safer”) and jazzy James Bond-inspired blues (“Cigarettes and Lies”). And it all works wonderfully; Cilmi is a charming vocalist.

Lessons begins with “Save The Lies,” a slice of slinky disco-rock that sounds like Rod Stewart by way of Anastacia. Hear here:

“Sweet About Me” (until yesterday Cilmi’s only track available on iTunes) was her debut single in the UK and reportedly Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher’s favorite single of 2008. With a bouncy beat that belies the no-Miss-Perfect lyrical sentiment, the song would appear to take a page from the Winehouse playbook, but “Sweet About Me” was written before the world checked into “Rehab.” Check out Cilmi’s clip:

Though sixty songs were written by Cilmi and team, just eleven made the final cut. Now that Lessons To Be Learned is available on these shores, here’s hoping we get to hear even more soon.

Purchase Lessons To Be Learned via iTunes, also available as a reasonably priced import from Amazon.