Early fans of Melanie Fiona were disappointed when her debut was pushed back from her original August release.

Especially after the buzz her mixtape (produced by the Roots’ Questlove) created earlier this year.

But “The Bridge” is proof that quality music needs time to simmer.

And anticipation makes the product all the sweeter.

On “The Bridge,” Fiona is the latest R&B newbie to hearken back to the simpler (and at times, more complicated) era of 1960s Motown – a move now less daring, thanks to Amy Winehouse, Duffy and Mayer Hawthorne. The three also chose to enter the U.S. chart scene with a similar sound.

Like Hawthorne, Fiona didn’t have to travel far for inspiration (her native Ontario is just across the lake from Motor City).

She invokes the Supremes (“Please Don’t Go (Cry Baby)”), Gladys Knight (“Walk On By”) and the Shirelles (“You Stop My Heart.”)

Lead single, “Give It To Me Right,” is even a timely throwback; Fiona sampled the Zombies’ “Time Of The Season” just before the U.S. fell back in love with Woodstock and The Beatles.

The only time you realize this album could’ve been recorded in the 2000s is “Ay Yo” and “Priceless” hit your eardrums.

But in a period of war, global famine and joblessness, an album that harkens back to a simpler time might be just what we need.

Download right now: “It Kills Me,” free this week on iTunes.

Hint: Or download “The Bridge,” $5.99 on iTunes.