There are surely far worse ways to spend an otherwise empty Monday evening in March. But having chosen to do so in the musical company of Yazmin Lacey and her rather splendid band you are left kind of wondering if there are in fact that many better.
Yazmin Lacey is going places. Ahead of several festival appearances across Europe later on this year, she is now out on a short tour of England with her five musical cohorts. And the Nottingham-based singer-songwriter’s star is undoubtedly rising too. Building on the solid foundation of last year’s debut EP, ‘Black Moon’ the natural born Eastender who relocated to the East Midlands a few years back has just unveiled its impressive follow-up ’90 Degrees’.
This is Yazmin Lacey’s first recording for First Word Records, the independent label whose signature sound is also immersed in the strains of hip-hop, jazz, soul and beats, and ’90 Degrees’ is received tonight by a knowledgeable and appreciative crowd like some homecoming queen.
Having previously described ’90 Degrees’ as an opportunity to “take some time to give thanks for what’s breathing love into your life and smoke off the fuckeries”, Yazmin Lacey here captures perfectly the song’s beautifully reflective and relaxed late-night vibe. She imbues her vocal delivery with a sultry expressionism that has its own living, breathing energy and in so doing creates a perfect axis upon which the rest of the 40 minute set joyously spins.
Either side of ’90 Degrees’, Yazmin Lacey features songs from ‘Black Moon’. ‘Protection’ slinks lazily into earshot before veering off into something that is altogether more soulful and triumphant, whilst the syncopated beat of the EP’s title track emphasises the intuitive insistency of Lacey’s voice as she repeats the song’s infectious refrain. She and the band then sign off with a superb ‘Still’, hitting an indelible deep groove over which Yazmin Lacey’s supple vocals just glide.
Photo credit: Simon Godley
More photos from this show can be found HERE
