Independant (label)
18 August 2016 (released)
19 August 2016
I first came across Karena K via the excellent Wily Bo Walker and ever since I’ve been looking forward to a new release from her.
This single is a taster for the new album and it really stands out as one of the best soul songs I’ve heard this year.
She has a voice that comes over as full of heart but without the bombastic sound of so many soul divas.
She has a brilliant control of her vibrato and a soft, almost whispery, vocal style that just draws you in to the song.
The sound is very sixties, almost on the edge of psychedelic pop but she isn’t a retro-kid. I hear echoes of Dusty Springfield and Petula Clark in her song but the sparse production, with everything in its place in the mix, is very much modern.
Like all the best soul songs there is an autobiographical feel to the song – the lyrics come from her heart.
Not the one if you want the full modern R&B mode but it is easy to see couples slow dancing to it and it has so many different layers that it bears a lot of repetition.
https://karenak.bandcamp.com/track/if-this-isnt-love
