Laura Mvula
Sing to the Moon (Columbia)
Reviewed by Thomas Fawcett, Fri., Sept. 6, 2013
Laura Mvula
Sing to the Moon (Columbia)Don't lump British soul singer Laura Mvula in with retro revivalists. A classically trained composer, Mvula marries the smoky solemnity of Nina Simone with the daring whimsy of Björk, filling a dozen songs with lush orchestration, soaring choral harmonies, and a thousand strings tickling the senses like tiny blades of grass. Layers of sound swell up and cascade away to reveal simple love songs timeless and profound. The 27-year-old subtly weaves her vocals into compositions rather than taking center stage, yet her velvet voice haunts. A decidedly downbeat affair gets a shot of dopamine from the celestial soul clap of "Green Garden" and the self-affirming "That's Alright," where Mvula declares, "I'll play my own damn tune/I'll shine like the moon." Sing to the Moon is a bold and beautiful debut: airy and dense, soul and jazz, dark and light. Head in the clouds, toes in the dirt.
