Great Britain has produced quite a few remarkable female artists: the late Amy Winehouse, a singer whose fate was overshadowed by substance abuse and cruel love (one can doubt Blake Fielder-Civil was ever vital to her career) and Adele, a songstress who is a force to be reckoned with and who hasn't allowed too much turmoil overrun her calling.

And now the curtain opens to allow Florence Welch to take the stage: a fiery and passionate vocalist fronting the band Florence + the Machine. Their sophomore album, Ceremonials, is a welcome break from everyday pop fare and mediocre lyric writing that stays on repeat in your head.

Ceremonials was released a few months ago and contains 12 songs that are a beautiful combination of soul and pop. She is her own creation, a gypsy in conspicuous fashion (she made the cover of November 2011's issue of Lou Lou magazine, as well as a three-page spread inside), a frontrunner of indie-goth glamour and best known for her powerhouse voice.

Her album is beyond what could be expected for only being a second creation and for being 25 years of age. She has an overwhelming darkness to her lyrics, but with her commanding voice, she brings out joy with each song and fills the CD with character and grace. She performed on Saturday Night Live in mid-November of 2011 and gave a performance of "Shake It Out" — a lucid song about keeping some things to yourself, shaking off the horse and burying it in the ground.

"It's hard to dance with a devil on your back, so shake him off. It's always darkest before the dawn," she sings. Yes it is, Miss Welch, yes it is.

Ceremonials is just under 60 minutes of orchestration and combines a multitude of instruments, a background choir and seamlessly fluid organization. If you need to update your collection of Brit-pop songstresses, Florence + the Machine is your next purchase.

For more information, visit florenceandthemachine.net.

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5