The British musician Yazmin Lacey, 35, sings in a mellow, textured voice, usually simply behind the beat. Her music interlaces jazz, soul, electronica and lovers rock — a mode of reggae that nods to her Caribbean heritage (her mom’s from Antigua, her father from Bequia). At the same time as her preparations achieve layers and depth, her voice stays calm, drawing the listener in. That sense of intimacy would possibly clarify, partly, Lacey’s devoted following in Europe. She’s been promoting out dates for her first headlining tour, which started in Warsaw in November, in help of her debut LP, “Voice Notes.” (She plans so as to add U.S. dates in 2024.) The album guides listeners into shut quarters starting from a dance membership (the glimmering “Late Evening Folks”) to her personal head: In “Dangerous Firm,” an imaginary alter ego named Priscilla reveals up at her residence, smokes all her weed and declares herself to be the prettier of the 2.
Whereas rising up in East London, the place her father was a postal employee and her mom a secretary, Lacey sang within the church choir, but it surely wasn’t till she was in her mid-20s, with the encouragement of some musician associates, that she began writing and performing songs. Earlier than “Voice Notes,” she launched a trio of EPs (the primary of which, “Black Moon,” appeared in 2017) whereas working full time with a youth help program in Nottingham. However with this LP, she’s made music her sole profession.
“Voice Notes” takes its title from the stream-of-consciousness audio messages Lacey leaves for her associates and the spontaneous melodies and concepts she data on her cellphone. But the metaphor belies how intentionally she crafted the album over the course of two years, working with the veteran producer and musician Dave Okumu, amongst others. The opening observe, a spoken memo on artistic blocks and circulation, is a intentionally frenetic overture; by the top, the album has arced towards what she describes because the “psychological calm” of her spacious, harp-based finale, “Sea Glass.” This fall, Lacey, who lives in London, was in america collaborating with songwriters and producers, exploring her subsequent tasks. “I don’t suppose we are able to ever underestimate, as Black ladies,” she says, what an achievement it’s to “specific your self freely and stand firmly and boldly on the planet.” — Emily Lordi