Lianne La Havas’s musical background is colorfully striking to say the least, having grown up in London with a Jamaican mother and Greek father. Her vocal style creatively crosses over genres while holding to the truest elements of jazz, and soul. Whether she’s performing in a large concert venue, or dazzling a piano bar, Lianne’s solo/multi-instrumental stage presence is full, perfectly raw and absolutely arresting. Her vocal lines are often layered with a piano or jazzy guitar riff, creating an aura which is both timeless and seductive. For instance, set upon a 1940’s jazz foundation, the song “age” lovingly tugs at the taboo line of a relationship between a young girl, and a man “old enough to be [her] father”.
I applaud Warner Music Group, who could have easily supplied their own team of musical assistants, but instead made a wise decision to patiently allow Lianne two years to develop her own songwriting skills; thus comforting and cultivating her own self-identity prior to a release. Lianne has not released a full album yet, but her first tour has already brought forth a round of applause from Bon Iver and a nomination for the BBC’s “Sound of 2011”.
Aside from her seductive qualities, Lianne is also quirky and adorable. She generally appears to the audience in her signature attire: a plain blouse, knee-length skirt, and side-twisted bun. Her lyrics are also friendly and uniting. For instance, “Is Your Love Big Enough”, a light-hearted ballad, celebrates relatable senses of happiness. The track “Forget” perfectly demonstrates her spellbinding vocals, which offer a sound of hypnotic strength.
Overall, Lianne offers the world a reintroduction to music that is beautifully bare and centered on analog sound instead of electronic production effects. Her potential is boundless, as she may deliver a refreshing answer to what follows the auto-tuned, dub-step cluttered genre which has been dominating mainstream radio.
