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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very promising debut from the Irish soulstress., June 16, 2009
Dubbed 'the soul of Ireland', the stunningly beautiful Laura Izibor (born Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish R&B Singer.
Her hit single "Shine" was the lead track of the movie Nanny Diaries. She is also famous for her song "From My Heart to Yours" featured as an episode opener on Grey's Anatomy. Her music has been included on the Hilary Swank film "P.S. I Love You", the hit and more recently "Seven Pounds" (Will Smith).
As well as performing numerous sold-out shows in Ireland, Laura has opened for luminaries such as Angie Stone, James Brown, The Roots, Estelle, Jamie Cullum and Al Green.
She spent four years in a diverse range of cities like New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Dublin among them, crafting her debut album, writing and arranging the songs herself and resisting the urge to hook up with any bigname collaborators. "It's a sincere record", she says. "I didn't want to be anybody's protégé. It's very tempting to put in the reinforcements, but for my debut album I wanted it to be 100% from me".
In the US, music bible "Rolling Stone" tipped her as one of the hottest "Artists To Watch" alongside Aussie Daniel Merriweather's "Love & War".
Drawing stylistic comparisons to seminal soul singers such as Candi Staton, Roberta Flack, and Aretha Franklin, "Let The Truth Be Told" anchors itself firmly in classic R 'n' B, and has all the hallmarks of a soul classic -- beautifully produced, the lush arrangements only serve to complement a magnificent vocal performance. Written and co-produced by the 21 year-old Laura herself, "Let The Truth Be Told" is a fitting display of a formidable talent at work.
The album is a melodic journey of soul. Peaceful and easy to listen and sing along to, this should be a consideration for any fans of the likes of Corinne Bailey Rae or Alicia Keys.
It showcases ten soulful, heart wrenching, well crafted songs which fly by leaving you wanting more. They will leave you wondering where you've heard it before, however.
From the breezy sunshine pop of "Shine" to the hip-poppy "From My Heart to Yours" which possess a certain summery charm, to the dreamy love lament "If Tonight Is My Last" and the gospel-infused "Mmm", it's Laura's incredible ear for melody and feel for a groove that sparkles. The album is layered with the rich sounds of vintage soul mixed with a modern freshness that's all Laura's own.
Comparisons to Alicia Keys and Roberta Flack are encouraged by the piano on which Izibor wrings out every emotive note. Like Aretha and Roberta, Laura is as comfortable being tender on "If Tonight Is My Last" and bluesy on "Don't Stay", as she is going all feisty on "Perfect World" or mixing in some mellow gospel on "Mmm".
The latter track is a stripped-back, piano led-number with gospel overtones and gorgeous central vocal. It's hard to believe that Izibor is from Ireland: her sound is so polished that you could swear she was from the US.
However, pop parallels aside, Laura Izibor possesses enough skill and substance to become a major new name in R&B.
She certainly has the voice, even if her biggest challenge will be finding her own
2009 looks set to be an incredible year for Laura.
My highligts: "Shine", "Mmm" and "Don't Stay".
Expect big things...
Love & War
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Dublin diva is soon to go global with her sincere,crossover sound., June 16, 2009
The Irish diva is soon to go global via her debut album on Atlantic.
This album from the young Dubliner was set to be released on Jive Records three years ago, but got shelved. Then, another label, Atlantic, took their time in deciding just when it should see be released.
"Let The Truth Be Told" reveals not only that capacious voice, but also a confident commercial songwriter - its collection of wholesome pop being penned entirely by Laura herself.
From soulful ballads through orchestral anthems (all pizzicato strings and sisterhood sincerity) to a clipped and sassy R&B swagger, her take on classic femme soul may not be rocking any boats, but earworms such as "Don't Stay" and new single "Shine" exude enough crossover familiarity to become retail and ringtone fixtures.
The CD is a glossy-sounding album of funky soul-pop tunes with Izibor's unique stamp all over them. Her smoky voice rides over the album's strong melodies and establishes her as one of the current vocalists in today's soul scene.
"...It's so glossy, however, that there's no rough-'round-the-edges charm, or distinctive quality about it." - Lauren Murphy
The first track "Shine" kicks the album off to a slightly energetic start, with a very catchy chorus, but then "Dont Stay", the second song, takes the tempo down a notch or two, while maintaining a swaying rhythm.
In fact she showcases her versatility by switching the tempo throughout the album. "If Tonight Is My Last" is a gorgeous, emotive mid-tempo track whilst "The Worst Is Over" is the album's big piano ballad, and most beautiful moment.
The dreamy "Yes (I'll Be Your Baby)" adds some finger-clicking sass into the mix and has an edgier street sound and you can imagine this ripping up the charts In US, while the likeable "From My Heart to Yours" borrows from the songbook of Lauryn Hill and dramatic piano ballad "Perfect World" from that one of Alicia Keys.
Best, though, is the full-blown gospel soul of "Mmm", which is authentically beautiful.
Expressive and powerful, the Rathfarnham singer is blessed with vocals to elevate even the most banal song.
Not that her voice needs to compensate for weak compositions here : the bulk of these 10 soul songs, mainly written by Izibor, are very well crafted.
"Let The Truth Be Told" is a promising debut album by anyone's standards and hopefully it points to a long and fruitful career. She has an incredible voice, a knack for a melody and an album full of potential hits.
Realistically, it's a very well crafted, inoffensive album which will not break any ground.
There's nothing particularly innovative, but good music nonetheless.
Enjoy this album for the bright songs that will make you smile. Just don't expect too much from it. It won't change your world, it won't make you think deeply about life.
But certainly it will ensure a great career ahead of her.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A soul revival!, July 14, 2009
Laura Izibor is a 22 year old singer/songwriter of Irish and Nigerian origin. "Let the truth be told" is her debut CD and made the US top 40 (#27). I discovered her from Amazon's reccommendation. She came up while I was writing my review of Maxwell's new CD so I figured she had to be good.
Hers is a piano-driven retro Soul sound with a Jazzy feel, think Alicia Keys, Corinne Bailey Rae, or the AWOL Lauryn Hill and you begin to get the picture. At 10 tracks running just over 37 minutes, she definitely does not overstay her welcome.
Opening the disc is the upbeat horn peppered aptly titled "Sunshine". "Don't stay" is an organ drenched ballad I could imagine Candi Staton singing. This is one of those albums where it is tough to pick standouts. "What would you do" is simply beautiful and so soulful. The more upbeat "From my heart to yours" sets Hip Hop beats to a groovy bassline, a la Lauryn Hill. The swirling "Perfect world" is so Alicia Keys as is the Bluesy "I don't want you back", while the pair of "The worst is over" and "Mmm" (the latter with Gospel-type humming and organs) are delicate stripped piano ballads with her vocals pushed to the fore.
However, as tough as it was, my favourite is the upbeat Hip Hop-tinged "Yes (I'll be your baby)"; horns, hard hitting beats, cascading harmonies and wah wah guitars. Awesome!
What a ride, shame it's over too soon.
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