Jessie's album release at the intimate venue Plan B yesterday was phenomenal. A nice older gentleman (a family friend of the singer herself) asked us why everyone liked her so much. "Because she can hold the attention of everyone in the room without needing to shout." It sounds simple, but apparently having a beautiful vocal tone without screaming is a dying art. Not to mention, she really is a romantic. The album is a nostalgic blend of 90s soul and R'n'B. Ask the couple eating each other's faces in my personal space last night. It was a room full of love and familiar faces (Jack Penate, Julio Bashmore, SBTRKT) but that was only sideline to her absolutely sublime talents and the mood that her and her band set.
On wednesday, a couple hundred people got to see fantastically talented lady perform at London's Scala along with two equally brilliant support acts. If you weren't quite so lucky to get tickets (my situation was more of a money-saving issue) then there was a live stream.
Lianne has one of the sweetest, most delicate voices which she can channel into a massive force of sound when she wants to. You may know her first release Forget, also remixed by Shlohmo who is becoming one of my favourite producers. She serenaded her home crowd with vocal runs and soft melodies in between sips of whiskey. I hope she's around for a long time because her voice is incredible.
Anyway, here's her first official single, black and white, and filmed in one shot in Paris.
Next, we have Marques Toliver. He is known for busking his way around London and New York with his violin and his voice. After watching countless videos of him busking and him playing live, it's satisfying to see the reactions of joy and laughter from spectators when he starts performing. That approach has boiled down the art of perfroming to the artist and the crowd, rather than large-scale productions and promoters. His intricate playing and honest lyrics have a pretty great effect on people, to the point where he could sing about buying socks and his audience would start riots in Marks & Spencers. I can say without doubt that each song is as stunning as the next.
Urgh, Jessie Ware. I am in love. I posted Running a few weeks ago and I need to reiterate how much that song gives me everything, but I won't persist boring you with my obsession. This is her segment from the Red Bull Studios episode featuring an interview and performance.
This is Ms Ware's first single coming from her debut album. After countless collaborations on the SBTRKT album, The Vision with Joker and last years Valentine with Sampha she's finally coming into her own and releasing her own material. Only a few years ago she was belting backing vocals for Jack Penate, but Running sees her taking a softer approach which she attributes to working on the SBTRKT album.
It's produced by Dave Okumu and Julio Bashmore of PMR records to which Jessie is signed. Running is the ultimate sultry soul track, reminiscent of Soul II Soul and Sade. Each line is laced with harmonies. The guitars are so sexy that they border on the line of melodic porn. Simply hypnotic. And of course, she looks like a goddess in the video directed by the visual genius that is Kate Moross.
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