Sing to the Moon
On her striking debut, the conservatory-trained singer declaims over melodies that stop and start with her every syllable, then waft around her like a pleasant daydream. She approaches music with the swing of a jazz singer, the heft of a soul performer, and the tonic clarity of a classical vocalist. She combines those impulses on sunny pop gems like “Like the Morning Dew,” while “Green Garden” bubbles with handclap percussion and light xylophone melodies. The full orchestra that backs many of these tracks serves to heighten her infectious sense of wonder.
This classically trained Brit's debut album has seen her compared to the likes of Nina Simone and David Axelrod. Although her lyrics sometimes communicate an impersonal strain of melancholy, the music is anything but, dazzling with powerful, vibrant arrangements.
With its bursts of soul-infused pop, tiny details and deeper layers, this is a magnificent anthology of tranquil, touching and often poignant songs.
Birmingham Conservatoire graduate and former music instructor Laura Mvula appeared in November 2012 with She, a four-song EP led by its title track.
UK singer-songwriter Laura Mvula seemingly popped out of nowhere to deliver her dreamy debut, Sing To The Moon, an album that shines with earnestness, was composed with deftness and presented with the bearing of a more journeyed artist.
Laura Mvula's debut is dreamy and arresting, if a touch too tasteful, writes <strong>Kitty Empire</strong>
It may be Laura Mvula's fate to be pitched as yet another retro-soul singer, but there's clearly more to her than that, says <strong>Alexis Petridis</strong>
Laura Mvula's Sing To the Moon is one of the most striking and original debuts from any British artist in many a year, says Neil McCormick.