Lianne La Havas. Photo by John Paul Pietrus.
Nick Bollinger surveys a sophomore set from sometime Prince collaborator Lianne La Havas.
This 25-year-old singer and guitarist grew up in London but her heritage is a mixture of Greek and Jamaican. And though her singing is soulful, and the production – particularly of the bigger, more upbeat tracks - owes plenty to the R&B tradition, La Havas is, in a way, as much a singer-songwriter as a soul diva. That’s particularly apparent on the songs where the focus is on just her voice and guitar, when she leans towards Latin feels. If there’s any fault here it’s only that La Havas hasn’t quite decided which of the numerous styles she hints at will make the best and boldest use of her formidable talents.
Songs played: What You Don’t Do, Green and Gold, Ghost, Never Get Enouigh, Unstoppable, Midnight
