SOPHIE Ellis-Bextor and The Krankies would make an unlikely double act.

Still, that's the reference that springs to mind for the songstress when she's chatting about her two night stint at Oran Mor in Glasgow this weekend, as she celebrates the success of her recent album Wanderlust.

And Sophie, fresh off a stint on Strictly Come Dancing, is in a breezy enough mood to be looking forward to hitting the town while in Scotland too.

"I've always had some brilliant nights in Glasgow" she says. "It's also the end of the tour so we'll be in a party mood - I think drinks afterwards are a distinct possibility.

"It's great they've added an extra night, I'm super chuffed about that - it's fan-dabi-dozi, to quote The Krankies."

The singer's evidently in a cheerful mood, and there's plenty of reasons for the singer to be satisfied.

Her new album is a marked departure from the dancefloor pop with which she's made her name. Instead it's a record heavy on strings, pianos and storytelling, a combination which cracked the top five in the charts.

"In terms of production it was anything goes, which is why there's Bulgarian choirs, and harpsichords and mandolins on there," she says.

"It was about going with what feels right. This time there didn't seem any point in doing things by halves or thinking about what people expected - if I'm going to do something different then I might as well do exactly what I wanted to do, and live or die by that."

She carried that attitude over into her songwriting, which saw Sophie collaborate with the album's producer, her old friend Ed Harcourt.

"The thing about dance music is that it fits in with the here and now, but it's not very good about storytelling or more reflective writing," she says.

"For me I could do that this time, and integrate the more romantic side of Eastern Europe and fairytales and folklore."

FANS shouldn't worry too much - chart smashes like Murder On The Dancefloor and Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) are still likely to feature in her sets.

It's dancing of a different sort that some people might know her for now, though, after Sophie came fourth in last year's Strictly series.

"It was really exciting to reach the finals, but it was also rewarding just to learn something new," she says.

"I'd hadn't done that in ages, and it was exciting to see what you can achieve when you push yourself.

"I didn't really have any expectations and that was probably for the best, you go with the flow more."

And the songstress appreciates getting to perform more than ever.

"I've realised that with this kind of work, it's all about the relationships with other people, and having a passion for it.

"You should realise how lucky you are, because a lot of people would love to do this. It's not lost on me that I'm one of the lucky ones."

l Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Oran Mor, Saturday/Sunday, £20, 7pm