The Gossip, fronted by the larger than life Beth Ditto, shot to prominence in 2006 with Standing In The Way Of Control, a protest against the Federal Marriage Amendment outlawing same-sex marriage in the United States.

Remixed to popular effect by Soulwax and Le Tigre, the track propelled the band to international stardom, fuelled by Ditto’s propensity to disrobe and make controversial comments about the music industry and society in general.

It is then regretful that Music For Men, the band’s fourth album and eagerly anticipated coming of age, reveals a disappointing lack of depth beyond the power and fury of Ditto’s larger than life persona.

Music For Men starts well; Dimestore Diamond shimmers with small town dust and heat, a sordid tale of the local girl gone bad. Ditto’s voice is sultry, restrained, measured. Brace Paine’s bluesy guitar riffs transition easily mid-track to a grungier resonance and Kathy Mendonca’s drums thump with a clear, penetrating cadence.

Heavy Cross, the album’s standout, lies somewhere between Fleetwood Mac’s Gold Dust Woman and Modest Mouse’s Float On topped with a smattering of indie-disco funk. Angular low-fi guitars strum atop Scissor Sisters-style percussion, with Ditto’s chunky vocals trilling perfectly in between. The track’s theme – the hardship of being in and out of love – sets the scene for the rest of the album.

Unfortunately, this is where the album peaks – the rest of Music For Men never quite reaching Dimestore Diamond’s promise or Heavy Cross’ controlled intensity.

Too much of the album is unremarkable, garage-band style noise. The production values are vastly uneven, with some tracks exquisitely finished and others about as rough as a uni bar PA.

8th Wonder sounds like Bloc Party without the charisma. Long Long Distance comes off unfinished in its pared back ‘60s influenced pop, complete with ripped off lyrics (“I heard it through the bassline not much longer would you be my baby”). Pop Goes The World is an interesting experiment in world music percussion fused with ‘80s disco synth, which tries hard but doesn’t quite work.

More successful is Love And Let Love which comes close to the standard set in the early stages of the album, led by an insistent tambourine beat and funked-out bassline. Four Letter Word, the band’s attempt at full-blown electro, is hooky, but let down by a mismatched vocal treatment and cringeworthy lyrics.

Ditto’s lyric writing in general leaves much to be desired. Songwriting clichés and rhyming doggerel abound in equal measure. “I don’t want to play for keeps anymore/I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it all before”, she wails in one tune.

Ditto’s voice, the defining feature and greatest drawback to the album, really has only one mode – full blaring whine. This is attractive on the tougher tracks, and part of the reason why Standing In The Way Of Control took the world by storm. But it fails to convey the subtler nuances of emotion necessary to maintain interest across a whole album.

I couldn’t help comparing this album to the work of the Scissor Sisters. Similarly fronted by a flamboyant, out-and-proud vocalist with a highly distinctive and unusual vocal style, The ‘Sisters manage to vary their approach between rock, Elton John worship and nu-disco funk, guaranteeing repeat listens and even becoming genuinely moving on tracks like The Other Side.

The Gossip, by comparison, notwithstanding the excellent Heavy Cross, seem very one-note, and sadly, overhyped.