A New Soul Commitment From Ireland!

Laura Izibor - From My Heart to Yours

A few weeks ago I was introduced to the new R&B singer Laura Izibor, whose "From My Heart to Yours," today's selection, is making quite a bit of news in R&B circles. This past Friday I had the pleasure of attending a concert by Izibor in Atlanta in anticipation of her album, Let the Truth Be Told (Atlantic), which will be released this Tuesday. Vintage soul fans, look out - Laura's got the goods to join Mmes. Winehouse, Duffy, and Stone in the pantheon of newer singers who appreciate the sounds of classic R&B and bring refreshment to the wrecked shoals of contemporary R&B - no Autotune here!

Izibor is a native of Ireland, a fact that she joked about at the show ("Do you guys know where I'm from? Did you know there are black people in Ireland?" she playfully asked), and I'm glad to say that not only "The Commitments" bring the sounds of soul from the Emerald Isle. Laura, backed by a top-notch band, ran through her album, which in parts summons forth the sounds of '70s soul and funk with just a few touches to give it a modern R&B flavor. I've pre-ordered the album and I'm already deeming it a classic. (It doesn't hurt matters that the album art is redolent of the Atlantic LPs of the '60s!) If you'd like to sample the album, you can go to VH-1's website, where the whole thing is steamable! Check this out right away!

"From My Heart to Yours" features a nice bouncy groove and Izibor's fine vocals and piano playing. When she performed it in Atlanta the crowd ate it up, and I think you will too. There are tunes on the album that I think will please the discerning soul fan even more. I recommend it heartily! Get on down, Laura!

(EDITOR'S NOTE - I'm hoping to get a new podcast up one of these days; please bear with me!)