PERHAPS bruised by the commercial failure of the movie soundtrack Think Like A Man Too and a lacklustre reception to A Very Mary Christmas, the former Queen of Urban R&B upped sticks and headed to the epicentre of the cutting-edge soul scene: London.

Forget Detroit, Philadelphia and Chicago, the sharp soul kids are working in the British capital. Disclosure, Sam Romans, the wonderful Emeli Sande and the stunning Sam Smith have created a citadel of excellence. The Blige experiment works a treat. In particular Therapy, the collaboration of Mary J and Sam Smith, infused with the guiding hand of Eg White, is unbelievably thrilling.

If the trio fail to secure a Grammy nomination in the next few weeks, something is amiss. Smith also co-wrote Not Loving You, Right Now and Nobody But You, while the Emeli Sande collaborations Whole Damn Year and Pick Me Up are essential additions to Miss Mary’s concert set list.