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| RCA Victor | discogs.com |
Amy Winehouse.
Laura Mvula.
Doing her dusky-piped alto predecessors proud, Mvula shines on her debut album Sing to the Moon.
She recalls these clear influences both compositionally and vocally, resembling a calmer, more mature Kimbra.
Both share a keen ear for angular melodies. Both share an affinity for unpredictable, jazzy chord frameworks and underpinnings. And yet, both still share common earwormy core. But where Kimbra shoots for the stars with her fizzy, sugar-rush antics, Mvula embraces a closer, warmer and ultimately more rewarding target.
Which is not to imply that Sing to the Moon is in any way monotonous or demure. It balances its downbeat balladry with a whole host of finger-snapping, upbeat rhythms that complement Mvula's plum-rich vocals wonderfully. As do the lush orchestral textures in which they are swathed — not simply a brass section or some MIDI strings lazily smoothed over the top, but woven into the tapestry of a cohesive and satisfying album.