Wanda Baloyi may have been flying below the radar for the past four years but she’s about to make a splash on the homegrown music scene with her third album.

Titled ‘Colours’, the album is a welcome return to form for the singer and songwriter, proving the former girl-group member is all grown up and ready to once again claim her place as one of South Africa’s leading R&B singers.

This time, however Baloyi is unconstrained by expectations or a desire to play it safe.

As she puts it, “When I was working on the album I thought to myself, what the heck, let me take chances with the music because I’ve been out of the spotlight for a while and it’s the perfect opportunity to create something really memorable.”

To say that her fans and the industry had high expectations for a new record from the former Ghetto Luv member would be an understatement: Baloyi last delivered a studio album in 2005, and she admits that every few days she will bump into someone she knows or be stopped by a fan asking her when she’s going to drop a new album.

For Baloyi, the delay had as much to do with relocating to Cape Town for several years to perform, get into business and study as her desire to deliver an album that lived up to her own expectations for how far she’s come since first coming to the attention of music fans via Ghetto Luv.

“I know its an overused cliché but I really wanted the new album to be a true statement of where I am – as a woman, as an artist, as a creative being,” Baloyi says simply.

Assisting her in executing this vision was producer Wilson Joel, known as J’adore.

It was a chance moment that put Baloyi in touch with this well known musician, producer and songwriter who has worked with likes of Nigerian Sammie Okposo, Judith Sephuma and Lulu Dikana. It was the latter eastern Cape-born artist whose music got Baloyi believing she had found her ideal producer in J’adore. “I was driving in Cape Town when one of Lulu’s songs came on the radio and a friend said to me that she didn’t know that I had recorded a new song because it sounded so much like something I would do. Of course, at that instant I knew that I had to find out who the artist was and who had produced her.”

From that initial thought to the end product, Baloyi’s relationship with the multi-talented Joel has reaped immeasurable benefits and brought a distinctive sound to ‘Colours’ – most instantly noticeable being the high-end musicality that underpins each song. Horns, guitars, keys and more are featured in a mix in a way that ensures each of the album’s 12 tracks stands out.

Much of this comes from the easy way Baloyi and Joel worked together on the album. “I would sing to him the melody that was in my head and Wilson would then start fleshing out the music which I’d take home and write lyrics for. It really was an amazing creative relationship and I haven’t had that for a while,” Baloyi admits.

There are several songs on the album that highlight Baloyi’s intention to deliver a sound that reflects her life’s journey so far but by far the most striking is the break track that comes between ‘Back To You’ and the album’s title track.

The two-minute plus track has all the hallmarks that make Baloyi such an individual: a playfulness, a bold confidence, an ability to push the boundaries. All of these and more are contained in a hot, snappy track that says a great deal about this irresistible performer.

There are plenty of other songs that give an instant insight into where Baloyi is after several years off the scene: ‘Colours’ is an exuberant and easy-going listen that provides a welcome injection of positivity in what is globally an increasingly dark time. Underpinned by a joyous keys melody and thrust ahead by a male ragga vocal, ‘Colours’ is a highlight on an album jam-packed with sonic treats. Another standout is the emotional ‘Mama’, which starts out with the sounds of a community before moving into a liltingly lovely song that pays tribute to Baloyi’s mother. “I am who I am because of my mother – it’s that simple,” Baloyi says of the song.

As this track reveals, ‘Colours’ sees Baloyi’s more melodic side come to the fore in a way that cements her ability to work in a variety of styles and not get typecast as simply a very good R&B singer. Another track that reveals this side of Baloyi’s creative nature is ‘Kunzima’, which features an inspired rap by Bhubesii set against a jazzy piano piece. “I wanted to tackle the hard things about being a human in this world on that song and I think I’ve managed to do that without waving a finger but rather by, hopefully, getting people to think about the suffering and misery of others.”

Baloyi says her intention with ‘Colours’ was to create an album that deals with different issues, features different sounds and moves through different genres and listening to the album it’s clear she’s achieved that, and much more. From the upbeat likes of the ‘Back To You’ remix (featuring John Delinger) to the Gospel-infused ‘Praise’, the R&B standouts ‘Don’t You Worry’ and ‘My Angel’, Baloyi has proved she’s capable of a return to centrestage with a brace of songs that easily ensure ‘Colours’ is one of 2009’s strongest releases.