If it was Björk's infectious elfin voice that made her former band The Sugarcubes popular, then it was the sheer originality in her ideas, sound, and appearance that helped to make her solo work so important.

The dance scene in London was the perfect breeding ground for Björk's solo career, but no one could have predicted the risks she would take from the outset. Examples? Try track four on 1993's Debut, "There's More To Life Than This." You try to record a song in the toilet of a London nightclub and see what sort of song you get. I'll bet it won't be as fun or nearly as ingeniously conceived. Here's what reader Leah Allor had to say about Debut:

"When I first heard Debut at a friend's house I was in awe. I thought, 'Wow! Who is this?! This is incredible music! I've got to have this!' So I went out and bought the album. The rest is history. I just can't get enough of her music. Without her voice and her music I'd be totally lost in this world."

Perhaps the success of Debut convinced Björk to take even greater leaps with her sophomore album, Post. Somehow, I don't think she'd have had the guts to put a big and brassy number like "It's Oh So Quiet" on her first record, never mind releasing it as a single, never mind dancing like a Broadway chorus girl in the accompanying video.

And yet you can't put anything past her. Björk rarely comes off as image-conscious. The dark and tense Homogenic may not have fit the cute and cuddly image the press had created for her, but the construction of a panoramic soundtrack completely suited Björk's ambitions. So do the amazing Michel Gondry-directed videos - clips that have done nothing less than reinvigorate the form. And yet for all the musical and visual guises she has presented to the public, there has never been a moment when Björk has looked uncomfortable. Simon Jannich muses on that certain Björkish je ne sais quoi:

"I love Björk because her music is never boring and so unique that you really can't put it into any category. It's a mix of techno, classic balladry, trip and hip-hop and lots of inimitable style!"

Her list of collaborators is long, but every artist with whom Björk has worked has only inspired her to reach for greater heights on her own. Soul II Soul's Nellee Hooper was with Björk from the start, but never dictated her artistic vision, blending her multi-faceted singing and songwriting talents with elements of everything from African tribal music to orchestral compositions. Everyone from Marius De Vries to RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan to Howie B to Talvin Singh to the Beastie Boys to former beaus Tricky and Goldie has contributed to Björk's original electronic vision, but the vision remains her own. Being a knowledgable fan of music allows her to soak in others' ideas and confidently incorporate those elements into her own artistic statement.

Perhaps Madonna paid Björk's vision its greatest compliment. With her penchant for catching on to the music in the center of the zeitgeist, Madonna asked Hooper to approach Björk for a song shortly after the release of Debut. The result of the request turned into "Bedtime Story," one of Madonna's most impressive tracks and the unofficial inspiration for Madge's electronic breakthrough, Ray of Light, on which she worked with De Vries. Björk's distinctive sound has made an almost subconscious impact on the public at large, encouraging mainstrem acts to explore (with varying degrees of success) some of the sonic depths of songs like Debut's "The Anchor Song" or Post's "Enjoy."

Björk's metaphoric, emotionally sensitive expressions are instantly likable and occasionally profound. Childlike wonderment and romantic frustration run hand in hand over the course of her four albums. Like a sister we're watched grow up, Björk's music and words have matured on every record. If Debut was the eight-year old girl singing and dancing joyfully for her family, then Post is a gifted adolescent who stands on the borders of childhood and adulthood, wearing black eyeshadow and combing her Barbie's hair.

Telegram represents those days of late adolesence when experimentation was still met with exuberance. Homogenic is Björk nearly at adulthood, thrown into the world and getting thoroughly head-tripped by the spectacle of it all. Angela O'Hagan gives her two cents on Björk's blend of maturity and innocence:

"What's not to love about Björk? She's redefined the standard of what I believe to be incredible music. Both musically and lyrically she is simply the most brilliant chanteuse ever. Her music, for all it's apparent worldliness, is vulnerable and refreshingly naïve."

And what will the fully mature Björk reveal? It's almost impossible to predict. Whatever the next step, she'll surely be confident enough to take it without a safety net. Björk is not just a singer, she's an artist, and that makes her a keeper.

Check out our Björk Mothership

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