It sounds a lot like The Pretenders' story: Midwestern girl moves to England, hooks up with a hot band, makes records that are almost impossibly good. She plays a mean guitar and sings with ravishing authority. The lead guitarist is something of a Wunderkind – and writes a cool tune to boot – and the rhythm section pushes the beat along with an inventive élan all its own.

The comparison is meant to establish a standard of excellence – and nothing more – for Katrina and the Waves are a stunningly original pop talent in their own right. Their American debut is a fine way to get to know them: ten well-chosen songs from their two previous albums for the Canadian Attic label, remixed and in some cases entirely rerecorded. Among them, "Going Down to Liverpool" is already familiar by way of the Bangles' star-spangled version. "Walking on Sunshine," an irresistible slice of ebullient, Motown-inspired pop, is looking to become a hit – and sounds like a cherished oldie the first time you hear it.

Katrina and the Waves reminds us that while pop style and calculated hooks will take a band so far, there is no substitute for a well-crafted song. "Red Wine and Whisky" is practically a textbook example of songwriting smarts at work – telling a story, moving effortlessly from verse to chorus, building in excitement almost because it contains itself so well. The influence of Sixties pop is heard again in former Soft Boy Kimberley Rew's unfettered, chiming lead work and in the innocent verve of songs like "The Game of Love" (the heart melts when sultry Katrina yells, "Hit the books"). Katrina herself gets off a good noise solo on "Machine Gun Smith" and mines a worldly, blue-eyed-soul groove in "Cry for Me" and "The Sun Won't Shine without You" that belies her twenty-four years. Indeed, there seems to be little that Katrina and the Waves can't do – except make records fast enough. More, more! (RS 449)

PARKE PUTERBAUGH