** Moa

UNIVERSAL

(Tommy Boy)

Another European trip-hop diva? But why? We've already shivered along with Björk, gotten gloomy with Beth Gibbons, and jazzed it up with Tracey Thorn. Must we even listen to Reykjavik resident Moa Juniusdottir? Well, why not? Moa's debut touches on the various subtleties of trip-hop, such as they are, and she's adept at falling in line with any mood that she and main collaborator (and ex-Björk affiliate) Eythor Arnalds stir up.

The oscillating opener, "Joy & Pain," stomps along like a dance-floor anthem; the drum 'n' bass stomach-sinker "Toy" zones out into a vaguely psychedelic realm. Elsewhere, Moa, who bears some physical resemblance to Uma Thurman, is up for a casually poppy dance tune ("Raining in My Heart") or a coldly ominous meditation ("Virtual Affair"). Sure, she sounds like a dozen other Euro chanteuses -- she even verges on Nina Persson and Shirley Manson -- but the overall effect isn't so much derivative as diverting.

-- Richard A. Martin