REVIEW: Sundays - Of Eros And I EP

*Originally published for The Line of Best Fit (1/11/13)

Sundays is a tease. Log on to her social media profiles and you’ll be inundated with arty Instagrams that obscure her face, or life mottos and pictures of her breakfast. Much like her atmospheric electrosoul, the Vancouver artist is constantly toying between mystery and openness, between the spooks of minimalism and the warmth of soul. And this teasing is best expressed through the sensual sounds of her debut EP, Of Eros And I.

With sultry vocals, hip-hop beats and ghostly synths, 'World Of Our Own' could not be a more seductive opener. Sundays is a clever producer; she somehow manages to keep the stems of the track compartmentalised and yet completely together. When knuckle-crack beats drop and harmonies throb at the chorus, you can’t wait to hear the rest.

'Forces' carries over the deep hum of her vocal whilst acoustic guitars gleam in the background. Lyrics detail an immeasurable lust, "Forces beyond all of my control/I feel the tension slowly build/I don’t know what to make of it/I thought I could escape your touch", whilst tribal rhythms rumble beneath. There’s exoticism and honesty running between the sheets, once again playing on the distant/intimate dichotomy.

Slow-motion tempos and thin electronic pulses can make for a disengaged moments on the record. The centre of the EP is littered with drowsy tracks ('Behind Her Every Purpose', 'Hope It’s Enough') that smile at the consistency of Sundays’ gorgeous vocal but frown at the music’s tedium. Perhaps these unhurried songs are simply her style, but there’s not enough upbeat numbers to justify the further drop in pace.

Contentment closes the record on 'Things You Do', which hears Sundays at peace with her Eros. Vocal harmonies chase each other’s heels and makeshift beats thud with bright and cheerful synths. It shows the potential for future musical directions, more in line with bubblegum RnB.

Even if Of Eros and I is meant to be full of slow jams, some songs do lack an essential energy that leaves the stronger tracks noticeably so. There’s no doubt about Sundays’ raw talent though; here is a new artist playing freely with modern soul. It’s a welcome experiment.

7/10

FEATURE: Tracks of the Week - 1/11/13

*Originally published for The Line of Best Fit (1/11/13)

Another week has flown-by and with it a bounty of new music. Here’s our pick of the best tunes from the past seven days.

There’s no stopping Brooklyn popstress, Empress Of. Earlier this week, her supple vocals were heard jumping their way around a brilliant duet with Amateur Best. Then she suddenly dropped 'Realize You' and everyone’s mouths fell open. The track is daring, fresh, and addictive – surely a contender for those end-of-year best ofs.

London newcomer Manou gave us the first taste of her work with heavyweight producer PNUT (Dido and Amy Winehouse) on 'Sadie'. Glassy synths pepper her youthful vocals and half-rhymes flow through airy harmonies. It’s a very impressive debut from this 16-year-old who shrieks of early Marina & The Diamonds. We can’t wait to hear more.

It’s certainly been a good week for Scandinavian/Nordic artists (Akiine, F U R N S, Jacob Douglas) and a welcome return from Iceland’s Rökkurró. Back after a three-year absence with two new band members, the band presented 'Killing Time', a restful orchestral song fleshed-out with electronics and group singing. It’s an intricate track that thanks you for close listening. Maybe it’s all the attention on Airwaves festival, but the music that arrives from those northerly Arctic winds is constantly rewarding.

Cornish sisters Hockeysmith fittingly spooked-us out yesterday with their latest track, “Meanwhile.” Meditative, experimental and electronically crisp, “Meanwhile” sounds like Warpaint in afterglow, replete with erratic rhythms and ethereal synths. It’s anyone’s guess what goods they’ll come up with next.

Lastly, Kwabs showed-off that voice on the SOHN-produced, 'Last Stand'. His soulful vocal is fed repeatedly through SOHN’s rooted synth and bass until the earth in shatters at the crescendo. The stormy, plainchant-like backing vocals might make the gods above a little angry too.

Listen to our selection of the week’s best tracks below:

FEATURE: Tracks of the Week - 25/10/13

*Originally published for The Line Of Best Fit (25/10/13)

We revisit the sounds that have been whirring around our heads the last seven days. Consider your weekend playlist sorted with our selection of the best new tunes around.

Stockholm’s Erik Hassle has been quiet these past few months, so he needed to bring us something special on his return. 'Talk About It' is his boldest effort to date: synths sweep, cymbals crash and Hassle’s soulful vocals blast out a hooky chorus. A smooth, electro pop nugget.

Shirking any attempt at slick production was Australian producer D.D Dumbo with his rough ‘n’ ready, 'Tropical Oceans'. Unhinged lyrics go hand in hand with unhinged sounds: deep south riffs skip intermittently between tribal percussion and shrill harmonies. A collaboration with Grizzly Bear would work far too well.

London girl Rainy Milo showed-off her slow jams with new track, 'Rats'. A fresh take on RnB, Miss Milo mixes crisp electronics with colloquial vocals and reggae echoes. It’s quietly confident and instantly catchy, nodding to the bright pop components of AlunaGeorge.

Genre-defying, gravity-defying, just-about-anything defying, are Febueder. ‘Alligator’ is so damn exciting it hurts. Four and a half minutes are crammed with different songs – or so the unpredictable structures make you believe. Mischievous guitars, barmy vocals and rattlesnake rhythms creep and crawl. The band’s green and pleasant land of Ascot couldn’t sound further away.

Lastly, wrapping us in its warm textures was the new tune by vocalist Nicole Millar. The Australian is very much in demand at the moment, collaborating with Cosmo’s Midnight, Emoh Instead and now Nottingham’s Crvvcks. Downbeat rhythms and crackling synths make for an ambient, post-dubstep dream.

Listen to our selection of the week’s best tracks below:

REVIEW: Rhodes - Raise Your Love EP

*Originally published for The 405 (22/10/13)

Childhood curiosity, openness and immunity to fear is a perfect mix for trying new things: from learning to ride a bike, to picking up a new language. All this becomes more challenging as you grow up and many would discard trying to master a new skill. But not 24-year-old David Rhodes. In January this year, he picked up a guitar, discovered he had a voice and set about to write some music. And the results are quite startling.

It's rare that a song can move you as quickly as 'Run' does. Guitars trickle like waterfalls over Rhodes' devastatingly beautiful vocals, whilst a gospel chorus lifts the track to a higher state. It would certainly suit a indie film soundtrack with its steadied and commanding crescendos.

'Worry' feels like an old friend with its instantly catchy chorus. Rhodes knows a way into a girl's heart with guttural, soulful vocals, nicely tied up at the end with aquatic guitars harking to Parachutes-era Coldplay.

The weakest song on the EP (though by no means "weak") is 'Darker Side'. It never quite takes off, but has the same earworm-of-a-chorus as 'Worry.' The thread attaching all of the songs is undoubtedly raw simplicity via Rhodes' pairing of ringing guitar and vocals (of the Jeff Buckley ilk) and, though this can be samey at times, it's powerful in its consistency.

Closer 'Raise Your Love' allows Rhodes' songwriting to really crawl into your head. The deep-seated projection of his voice in the verses is astounding as gentle percussion kisses a clanging electric guitar. Harmonies soar and echoes resound, leaving the record perched firmly on a high.

Raise Your Love is an arresting introduction to this impossibly-talented songwriter. It's the type of record that stops you in your tracks and swallows you whole, and it's frightening to think what heights can be reached next.

7.5/10

LISTEN: Boardwalk - Crying

*Originally published for The Line of Best Fit (10/10/13)

LA pairing Boardwalk lie somewhere between Big Deal and Beach House with their lo-fi guitars and hazy vocals - due to get teenage knickers in a twist as their debut LP release approaches.

The reason for this? Boardwalk – formed just last summer – know how to sex up dream-pop. On ‘Crying’, Amber Quintero’s lethargic, come-back-to-bed vocals effortlessly climb over Mike Edge’s muted garage-rock guitars. Slow tempos and floaty guitar solos are the ideal soundtrack to a Sunday morning spent with a sore head, with simple rhymes ensuring you’ll be pressing the repeat button.

Boardwalk’s self-titled debut album is out on 15 October via Stone Throw Records.

LISTEN: Killing Fields of Ontario - Our Place To Drown

*Originally published for The Line of Best Fit (9/10/13)

Leeds via Birmingham via London five-piece Killing Fields of Ontario might be a little displaced geographically, but their uplifting folk-rock remains rooted in its soil.

They’ve been simmering quietly in the background for a few years with regular slots on Tom Robinson’s BBC Introducing show, but new track ‘Our Place To Drown’ sounds like a band vying for more. Train rhythms and playful bass confidently carry billowing guitars over Tom Brewster’s pseudo-Southern drawl. It’s gentle but purposeful, the soundtrack for an endless journey.

Partner it up with the intense folk-country of lead single, ‘Cloud’ – taken from their forthcoming album, How The World Ends - and the rest of it looks rather promising.

How The World Ends is out on 28 October via KFoO Records.

LISTEN: Solomon Grey - Firechild

*Originally published for The Line of Best Fit (9/10/13)

Electronica duo Solomon Grey are re-releasing their unbearably catchy single ‘Firechild’ ahead of their debut live performances next month.

Judging by the sound of their 80s krautrock-meets-modern pop, the twosome will be throwing quite a party at their first live shows. ‘Firechild’ hears juddering, spacey synths provide a comfortable bed for smug falsettos and spanking-clean string progressions. It’s danceable, likeable pop that sounds damn sure of itself. 

Catch the English-Australian duo at The White Building, Hackney on 20 and 21 November.

LISTEN: Woman's Hour - Darkest Place [Oceaán remix]

*Originally published for The Line of Best Fit (7/10/13)

Oceaán caught our attention earlier this year with the smooth and silky ‘Need U’. Now the Manchester producer delivers a delicate remix of ‘Darkest Place’ by electronic minimalists, Woman’s Hour.

There is a real sense of partnership in Oceaán’s reworking of ‘Darkest Place’; Fiona Burgess’ naked vocals swim fluidly between “Oliver Cean”'s soulful hums. Finger snaps build to scurrying rhythms and harmonies glint in the background.

What is so attractive about the remix is that the original is instantly recognisable –  just kissed with a new warmth – likely found basking in clubbers’ afterglow or accompanying late-night drives.

LISTEN: Blood Cultures - Indian Summer

*Originally published for The Line of Best Fit (7/10/13)

It's tempting to give artists the silent treatment when internet bios are intentionally sparse, but in the case of elusive New Jersey soloist, Blood Cultures, it'd be plain rude. 

Put simply, the debut offering from the synth-pop artist is too good to miss. Opening with groovy, palm-muted guitars akin to what we've heard so far from Jai Paul, 'Indian Summer' quickly journeys into explosive synth-pop territory.

Off-kilter, vacuous vocals climb pentatonic scales on top of brash – if not a little cheesy – synths that nod to Europop. It sounds more like it's been washed up on the shores of Sweden than New Jersey, no more than a pebble stone's throw away from Iamamiwhoami.
 

LISTEN: Fractures - Cadence

*Originally published for The Line of Best Fit (4/10/13)

Australian producer/multi-instrumentalist Fractures returns with drugged RnB months after nursing, ironically, a fractured neck.

The solitude caused by such an incident can be a blessing for creativity, mind. New single 'Cadence' perfectly embodies the frustrations of unrequited love: cyclical motions, yearning vocals and a bass that's far too hot to touch. The opening keys draw parallels to 70s funk clavinet, but the track is soon engulfed by downtempo not unlike that of electro-soul crooner, Jamie Woon.

While it could be a bit brighter on the production side, it gives us a nice peek into his debut EP set for release in early 2014.

FEATURE: All We Are

*Originally published for The Tipping Point (3/2/13)

One of life’s greatest pleasures, perhaps only for music nerds, is pinpointing a band’s music influences and realising the comparisons are accurate. Take the latest single from Liverpool’s All We Are, who were first tipped last year. Within five seconds of listening to ‘Utmost Good’ I’ve scribbled “sleepy Bee Gees” and within five seconds of googling it appears the three piece liken themselves to “the Bee Gees on diazepam.” Get in. Admittedly, my tone-deaf nanna could spot the link.

‘Utmost Good’ oozes funk from every drugged beat or wah wah bass note, supplemented by biting falsettos that really would raise the Gibbs’ eyebrows. The track’s drowsy ostinato is addictive and great company for a lazy Sunday afternoon, especially with the summer months looming. It’s Unknown Mortal Orchestra at their most laid back, though fashions a more distilled sound, and it’s a delight to hear.

Catch the Liverpool lot at The Seabright Arms on 17th June.

*Tip courtesy of Phil from Not Many Experts

REVIEW: Shama Rahman - 'Fable: Time'

*Originally published for Artrocker (29/4/13)

Shama Rahman leads a rather busy life as a PhD student of musical creativity, actor, storyteller and musician, and it's obvious in her music. From the instruction to listen to Fable: Time on shuffle, to playful and original world music fusions, nearly every part of the record is cloaked in experiment, drama and metaphor. But does it work?

Fable: Time is meant to be listened to in any order to help realise "how time affects us, its illusions, deceptions and myths", leaving all song titles in an equally-muddled state. This freedom is an interesting experiment - not quite the boldness of a Gwilym Gold innovation - but works tastefully as an extended metaphor for the theme of time. 

Faux-opener, 'Reflections' (merely the first track downloaded)is a strange little number. Elementary piano notes thump around salsa rhythms and warm brass, whilst Rahman sings in rather erratic waves. The variable beat patterns are admirably creative, but it's a real effort trying to catch the slippery thing. 

Next in the lucky dip is 'Coast', but luck isn't playing fair today. Aquatic guitars swash about in a pool of horribly distorted instruments and Rahman's vocals fail to interlock with the intricate sitar, double bass and drum arrangements. Perhaps that's the point. 

'Time' finally shows off the talent that Gilles Peterson and the like have so raved about. A lone sitar floats above Rahman's gorgeous otherworldly vocals, evoking images of vast, uninhabited desert plains. An Indian tabla and a fluent violin help build the tracks many layers, but the sitar is the star of the show here. Rahman has been taught by the late Pt Ravi Shankar and it's clear. She has developed a combined style of sitar playing and singing that is so natural and expressive (the kind that would be wonderful to see live) and allows this to be the glue that holds a good chunk of the album together. 

Rim taps emulate the tick-tock of a clock on '26 Hour Baby', lolling guitars and sitar thread between the complex time signatures in 'Jokhon', and you can honestly pick out the nuances of jazz, folk, bossa nova, dubstep that Raman cites as influences. This is especially evident on 'Warrior', which races between genres but leaves Rahman's spoken-word music untouched. However, like 'Bolte Paro Ki' and the some of the aforementioned tracks, this is one of the weakest on the album.

Fable: Time is good when its good and poor when its poor. Many songs get lost in themselves, muddied as they are by Rahman's cross-genre manifesto, but others do rear their beautiful heads. There is no question of the record's originality, but there is a way to exaggerate it and a way to let it breathe. Regrettably, the balance isn't quite reached.

3/5

REVIEW: Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood - 'Black Pudding'

*Originally published for Artrocker (29/4/13)

Few musicians have enjoyed such a varied career as Mark Lanegan. Initially the frontman of Washington grungers Screaming Trees, Lanegan has since worked with the likes of Kurt Cobain, Isobel Campbell and Queens Of The Stone Age. His new collaboration with rootsy multi-instrumentalist Duke Garwood comes as little surprise then for a singer comfortable lending his baritone to all types of music.

Title track 'Black Pudding' is stark and stunning: a Spanish guitar cascades unaccompanied, plucked tenderly by Garwood, speaking volumes without lyrics. 'Pentacoastal' barely lets the opener rest, with a blues guitar biting at Lanegan's trademark oak vocals. The hot and heavy melody seeps right into your pores and refuses to leave. 

There isn't too much of the experimentation expected of the collaboration until further into the record. 'Sphinx' and 'Mescalito' are the initial purveyors with billowing classical guitars, drones, jittering sitars and box beats - the latter track a definite highlight of the record. Imagine picking out all the characterisations of a blues track but making it about a hundred times better. That's right, hip-hop rhythms slamming on bottleneck guitar slides, sitars humming to looped melodies and drones pulling the track's sludge and drudge. It's mightily impressive. 

Another stand-out track is the unassuming, 'Driver', a seven-bar blues track awash with 90s phaser pedals and rasping vocals. It's simple, infectious but also rather inventive. The world sounds like it's about to implode on 'Thank You' and there's little indication of how this effect is achieved. Maybe it's the detuned piano, maybe it's the rotting strings, but whatever it is, it sounds at once awful and at once amazing.

Lanegan's vocal style is what many would regard as 'traditional' or 'proper' or maybe how your granddad sings - a gentle vibrato on each cadence, each note executed like there is no opportunity for a redo. It's remarkably deep and at times sinister but it doesn't lose you in its darkness. 

'Cold Molly' sounds like the beginning of 'Superstition' with a funky clavinet sound. It may well be impossible to sit still whilst listening to it (we've got funk and soul here, people!) but it sticks out like a sore thumb. Not even the fun and angry brass notes can save it. 

Country, blues and Celtic music come together succinctly on 'Death Is A White Horse', and the nodding riff of 'Shades Of The Sun' is so damn catchy that you swear you'd once mastered it in a guitar lesson. 

Although no track on Black Pudding weds Lanegan and Darwood's writing more naturally than 'Mescalito', the record is consistently strong, best digested slowly during a quiet afternoon. For the time being, let's hope no one steals either musician for other collaborations. 

4/5

FEATURE: Phlo Finister

*Originally published for The Tipping Point (10/5/13)

LA/London poster girl, artist and fashionista Phlo Finister isn’t exactly modest. “I’m a underground R&B singer I don’t need no major deal to be a legend”, she says, “I inspire myself, you just use me for inspiration.”

Statements like these are often the workings of PR, but in Ms Finister’s case it seems authentic – stemming from collaborations with respected underground hip-hop groups (Raider Klan) and fashion stints for Dolce and Gabbana. Time to give her a little listen then.
 

‘Coca Cola Classic’ is Aaliyah given a dubby makeover; Phlo’s sultry vocals glide above a sub-bass that would make Katy B quake in her boots. It’s not a dubstep track in its own right, however, and it’s enjoyable to locate all the interlocking genres from rap, to soul, to hip-hop and beyond. Shady synthesisers and glitchy electronics bleep around analogies of drug addiction, whilst Phlo’s desire for “real love” is summated by “fuck that fake shit.” Lovely.

This songstress is certain to divide opinions with her daring statements, but her music is worth keeping an eye on.

*Tip courtesy of Tom Cotton at Amazing Radio.

REVIEW: Efterklang @ O2 Academy Oxford 18/4/13

*Originally published for the Oxford Mail (23/4/13)

Cinematic pop lot Efterklang are huge in their native of Denmark and it seems us Brits are pretty fond of them too. In fact, Oxford's very own Foals had them support their sold-out show at the Royal Albert Hall last month. 

It's surprising then to find the six piece playing upstairs at the O2 Academy Oxford last Thursday, though it's to no detriment. One song in and the intimate upstairs venue already feels appropriate for a measured band like Efterklang. Opener 'Hollow Mountain' is flawless from the offset with crystalline female vocals, progressive bass and shimmering synths. 

'Frida Found A Friend' sees the band darting around the stage, swapping instruments and pressing buttons like mad scientists. It's rather unsettling to watch but it's also fascinating to listen to. This experimentalism really is at the heart of everything Efterklang do: making music to take apart and put back together again. 

Providing some light relief from the more leftfield numbers, the group bring in the catchy off-beat rhythms and chirpy brass of 'Black Summer', later treating us to gorgeous three part harmonies in 'Dreams Today'. It's one of those gigs that just keeps getting better and better. 

The end of the set is dominated largely by songs from their award-winning 2010 album, Magic Chairs. The scratchy guitar riff of 'Raincoats' gets heads bobbing but crowd-favourite 'Modern Drift' sounds even more sure of itself live with classic piano notes cutting through the track's orchestral makeup. 

Just as everyone thinks they've been spoilt enough by Efterklang's unquestionably slick showmanship, the band returns for an encore. 'Between The Walls' is breathtaking and the experimental track that follows has frontman Casper Clausen instructing the crowd to stomp and sing in two-part harmonies. It's hypnotising and beautiful. 

Closer 'Alike' is full of life and really allows the band to let themselves go: arms flailing, hair flicking and hands clapping in every direction. The track's urgent beat, robust group vocals and warm root notes leave the set on a high and it seems that nobody wants them to go. Perhaps we should adopt these Danes after all.

INTERVIEW: Gunning For Tamar

*Originally published for Spires Magazine (15/4/13)

REVIEW: Stornoway - Tales From Terra Firma

*Originally published for Artrocker (12/3/13)

When this studious Oxford bunch were tipped for big things in 2010, there was little doubt that their charming folk pop would appeal to the mainstream. In the years since, Stornoway have toured extensively, signed to 4AD and released their praised debut, Beachcomber’s Windowsill. But breathe their name and some people still think you’re talking about that Scottish town on weather forecasts. Perhaps their second release will put them on the map.

‘You Take Me As I am’ welcomes listeners in medias res, with burring gospel keys, playful bass and drums akimbo. Unfortunately, it feels as if you are trespassing upon the band’s hodgepodge experimentalism and it's a messy introduction to Tales From Terra Firma.

Following track, ‘Farewell Appalachia’, is arguably the strongest on the album. A Middle-Eastern zither dances around warm acoustics and harmonies, whilst jazz rhythms carry a dulcimer in woozy enchantment. It’s a triumph and will compel you to hit repeat.

Exasperatingly, the mature moments stemming from tracks like ‘Farewell Appalachia’ are very few and far between in the album’s early stages. ‘The Bigger Picture’sees a return to Stornoway’s idiosyncratic happy-go-lucky pop and feels like it belongs to their previous release, save for the rather REM-inspired mandolin. Brian Briggs’ sparkling vocals often fail to command attention above the rollicking rhythms and, sadly, the tune fades into the ether. 

'Hook, Line, Sinker’ tells a nice story of journeying by the Thames to meet a lover, but musically-speaking,what the hell is it? Oddball phaser effects, rhythms unsure of their direction and removed vocals are but a few of its quirky components. It’s a confusing listen, written in what appears to be a wacky stream of consciousness. If opener ‘You Take Me As I am’is a bit messy, this is chaotic. 

The cascading guitars in ‘(A Belated) Invite To Eternity’ owe a lot to Vampire Weekend and nicely break up the early tracks. Rather cleverly, Stornoway have planted the strongest songs in the second half of the album, leaving a lasting impression of infectious melodies. 

Among these is the meaty ‘Knock Me On The Head’ with its joyful bass, seaside keys and trigger-sharp harmonies and the back-to-basics folk ballad, ‘November Song.’The most dramatic song on the album, ‘The Ones We Hurt The Most’,hears an Appalachian dulcimer glide over rich bodied harmonies –something Fleet Foxes could have penned. Briggs and co. have absolute conviction in every word they spit whilst this brooding, experimental Americana builds and builds, and it’s beautiful to listen to.

With its smorgasbord of instruments, Tales From Terra Firma is much bolder than its predecessor, but its weakness lies in the frustrating dichotomy between fresher sounds and the band's old folk-pop roots. Thankfully, it’s a healthy step forward.
3/5

FEATURE: Nadine Carina

*Originally published for The Tipping Point (2/4/13) 

LIPA is currently churning out a great deal of exciting artists. Former Tipping Point stars Dan Croll and Ady Suleiman are exemplary students past and present, but today it’s all about their equally-promising classmate, Nadine Carina.

'Chocolates And Cigarettes’ is a welcome introduction to the Swiss singer-songwriter with its sleepy acoustics and shuffle drum patterns. Carina’s vocal has a likeness to Regina Specktor – its off-kilter swing and quirky enunciations (“chocolayte and seegaretts”) sitting comfortably beside the track’s cut 'n' paste instrumentation.

Dustbowl guitars nod to the blues and boast of Carina’s ability to jump between guitar, piano and pedals. Playful harmonies that hark to 50s radio showgirl announcements are neatly interspersed throughout, making the track just that little bit more fun to listen to.

‘Chocolates And Cigarettes’ is refreshingly simple and Nadine Carina certainly adds to Liverpool’s roster of musical talent.

Tip courtesy of Darren Roper (Liverpool Sound City)

FEATURE: Ady Suleiman

*Originally published for The Tipping Point (19/3/13)

If anyone is going to make a perfect, pre-packaged pop star, then they should have a look at Ady Suleiman. He’s young, good-looking, a talented guitarist and an even more talented singer – everything you need to face the music industry’s bite. Currently studying at the prestigious LIPA and with a BBC Introducing MistaJam session to his name, the Nottinghamshire musician certainly has an exciting future ahead of him.

Taken from his MistaJam session, ‘Serious’ is already racking up a healthy amount of hits and it’s no puzzle why. Ady's soulful vocals, styled seemingly on a diet of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, are immediately arresting and ever the more attractive with creaking acoustics plucked beneath them.
 

There’s a definite reggae sound lurking with attractive off-beat rhythms and looped melodies, but you can pick out a whole host of influences from hip-hop to soul and even a bit of jazz. Ady has gobbled up these sounds and spat them out into a fully-formed pop song in ‘Serious.’ I can’t imagine it’ll be long before the bigwigs wrap their ears around it.

*Tip courtesy of Lyndsey Boggis at BBC Introducing.

REVIEW: Jessie Ware @ O2 Academy Oxford - 11/3/13

*Originally published for the Oxford Mail (13/3/13)

It's a normal Monday evening in Oxford. The shops are shut, people have braved the start to the week and the bitter winds are keeping many at home. But there is a party going on at the O2 Academy Oxford, and soul popstress Jessie Ware is hosting.

Opening with the sparse but brash electronics of 'Devotion', the Mercury-nominated singer makes an impressive start to her headline set. Hitting the high notes like it's already the encore, Jessie's live persona smacks of professionalism and passion in equal measure and the audience is hooked just minutes in.

Crowd favourite 'If You're Never Gonna Move' (originally released as '110%') boasts Jessie's ability to effortlessly hop between harmonies. Her backing band help to provide it's skittish dubstep beats and bleeps, but it's a shame there isn't more interaction between them and the confident frontwoman.

Thankfully, a little further into the set, drummer Dornik Leigh steps in to duet on 'Valentine', a song that Jessie usually sings with Sampha (featured on SBTRKT's debut album). It adds some welcomed variety with soulful male vocals and snappy electronic drums.

Finding what she calls her "inner Chaka Khan", Jessie gets the crowd dancing to 'Imagine It With Us' like it's the 1980s. The relaxed hip-hop beats of 'Wildest Moments' foretell the set's close, but Jessie and her band still squeeze every bit of energy to power its grand chorus.

Following a huge applause, Jessie exclaims: "Wow, I thought with it being a Monday night you'd want to be in bed at a reasonable time!" And with that, the explosive 'Running' closes tonight's party at the O2 Academy. Fans might just feel that little bit closer to the weekend.