Laura Izibor - Shine [Single]

Atlantic Records

April 7, 2009, 10:42 PM

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From my previous soul review, you may have caught on that I am of the opinion that soul music is dying in this current pop and rock climate of the 00s, soon to be six feet under like its funk counterpart. I also expressed my hope that Anthoney Wright could be the future driving force to regain some stability in the genre, with infusions of R&B, which experiencing a steady progression in the charts. Well, apparently there's another artist willing to carry the heavy load, as James Brown once said. And she's a woman.

Meet Laura Izibor, an Irish soul singer from Dublin. Opening for the likes of Aretha Franklin, Estelle and John Legend, this soul startlet clearly has some talent playing before musical talent like that, and it definitely shows in this single. Her voice has a bassy quality, like a musical jigsaw piece that has been unconsciously discarded under the sofa, being desperately looked for. The best thing about it however is I can't really think of artists to compare her to; I can hear a faint Jennifer Hudson, but that's about it really. The melody is simple but upbeat and very catchy, as are the lyrics, which are conveniently helped thanks to Take That's hit single of the same name.

A sound like this is rather refreshing to hear above the monotonous humdrum of faux-electrosynth infused Timbaland beats spread over every R&B and hip hop track in the Milky Way. Something nice and uncluttered to relax to, where you can pay attention to the voice instead of a cheesy melody that you'll forget in a few months time. But with the way music is, this track may end up in with the same plight, which would undo the hard work Laura has clearly put into this track and her subsequent music. A good thing about this kind of music is that not will it appeal to the radio DJs that help shape the current music charts, it'll also encourage the older market to start buying music again, thanks to that old nostalgic smell of 60s and 70s soul which you can tell this was influenced by. In the Red corner, fighting for the new world heavyweight soul title is Laura Izibor.

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