Roxanne has a busy musical life, singing with the reggae band Nile Groove as well as a pop, soul and R&B group under her own name. Her solo single Inferno City brings out a particularly sensual side of the Canadian singer-songwriter. The mood is calm, feminine and rather sexy, with a languor I find immediately appealing.

I’d put this on for the part of an evening when the conversation has become more interesting than whatever everybody originally planned to do. Roxanne sounds comfortable here, and that ease is a better advertisement for her experience than a recital of all the genres she has worked in. The slow movement of the music builds tension around her R&B delivery. Behind the lead, backing vocals accumulate until the chorus has an almost choral presence. The expansion is the part I enjoy most: several voices can fill the arrangement while the song retains its intimate character.

Roxanne’s femininity remains central to the appeal, even as the harmonies become more elaborate. The chorus has more drama than the initial mood might lead you to expect, and the additional voices are a satisfying way of raising the emotional temperature. I’m drawn to the pressure inside that calm setting, with the singing supplying much of the lift. The music takes its time, yet the vocal arrangement keeps developing.

Inferno City is a conspicuously grand name for something I’d happily describe as bedroom pop in the literal sense of where I might play it. The title suggests a much bigger occasion than the song actually needs.

I would choose a moderate volume and let the singer hold my attention, particularly once the backing harmonies begin gathering around her. The pop and dance vocabulary in Roxanne’s solo work accommodates this softer temperament quite naturally.

My preference is for its sensuality at this scale, with a voice that sounds assured and a mood that can develop gradually. Someone hoping for a frantic club track may have a few expectations to adjust. I’d recommend settling into its slower pace, preferably in company that makes the prospect of staying in sound attractive.