Tirzah Devotion

Arriving on the back of a lauded run of releases on Greco Roman, Devotion shines a brilliant new light on Tirzah's unique experimental pop, exquisitely soulful voice and potent contemporary lyricism. Written and produced in collaboration with long-time friend and collaborator Micachu, Devotion's hallmarks are rooted in a fresh, raw emotion and feeling. The Essex-born performer has been at the centre of the vital post-grime and UK garage sound of London for the better half of a decade but it's only now that her work has come to full fruition, delivering what feels like a landmark debut LP. Recorded mostly in the shared houses and makeshift studios of her South London crew of artists and friends, all while life - and love - happened in the meantime, Devotion is written and produced with musician, composer and childhood friend, Micachu, and it's a downbeat excursion into the moody inner life of an unusually talented lyricist. Songs about the complexity and conflict of a very human, very confusing feeling come through in listless lines like "I thought that I would call you but I never could do it," while a faltering bass line carries it through a tumbledown assemblage of samples and vocal cutups. Track titles like 'Gladly,' 'Guilty' and 'Reach' reveal their emotional tone with a single word, while the deconstructed beats underscore the brittle nature of desire and romance. It is on tracks such as 'Go Now' where you can really hear the soul and gospel influences of Tirzah's surprising inspirations in Al Green, Barry White and D'Angelo. There's an understatement, though, a vulnerability that is unique to her own songwriting, where a simple four syllables, like "I want your arms," can speak volumes on loss and longing.