De'Borah, A South London Singer/Songwriter, recently released her second EP, A Thousand Tongues. There is no real explanation, before listening, for the EP's title, except a line that doesn't actually explain much, but intrigues the reader nonetheless: "There are an estimated 6,700 recognized languages in the world. Most of them are spoken by fewer than 1,000 people."
The first track, Skyline Has Faded, is a sweet acoustic track that, if scented, would smell like a freshly cut lawn or your favorite flower. However, until the chorus comes in, it's very much something that passes you by ... When you hear the words "Skyline has faded now. Creation is shouting out. Won't you save us, save us please. Show us your glory" you know that De'Borah means business but, it's only really when those words are uttered, though, in all, it is a pretty beautiful song.
Three Word Phrase follows on and this one has a bit more substance to it because there isn't as much music to fill a void - her voice flows the whole track through and manages to give this one listening sustainability. Very much like Karima Francis as a child, this soulful stunner makes you feel fuzzy inside with the harmonies gently touching your ears.
Made In Heaven reminds me of Nelly Furtado when she was known for being a bit of a hippie - She made her best tracks in that time though, so this is definitely a compliment!! There is a euphoria about this song that screams freedom and happiness ... something quite refreshing when the doom and gloom of Adele (despite loving her too) is the thing of the moment for the last year or so. Another beauty.
The finale comes in the form of title track, A Thousand Tongues, and it's crafted in such a way that you immediately feel a connection. This track manages to make you think about the bigger picture, which, I assume, is exactly what De'Borah was doing at the time of creation. You think of that first phrase mentioned at the top of this post and how you probably won't meet many/any of the people that she sings about and that the world isn't just yours, but it's absolutely everyone's ... pretty astonishing to put into a song.
De'Borah - 'A Thousand Tongues' EP Taster (OUT NOW) by De'Borah
This EP is hard to sum up. There is no doubt in my mind that it is a piece of quality writing, and some of the comparisons I've made have, I hope, been very complimentary, but I feel there is more to be done for De'Borah to make the wave she seems to seek with her wisdom. I'd hope in the future something slightly catchier could capture her own heart and manage to bring forth a venture so right that the world could be on her side too.
Paul.
Entertainment Magazine
