Beverley Knight - Soul UK
Beverley Knight is set to take the charts by storm with her seventh studio album.
Soul UK is Knight's attempt at a covers album, as she tries to reinterpret classic British soul tracks.
The album manages to feel consistent, which is a definite achievement for a collection of covers.
Opening with Soul II Soul's 'Fairplay' (which features an introduction from band member Jazzie B), Soul UK shows Knight's influences whilst proving her own talent.
Knight holds absolutely nothing back, belting out the songs that influenced her own style and career.
Pulling off a covers album is a talent, both in your interpretations of the songs and the track-listing.
Soul UK does well on both of these, managing to blend well-known hits with some lesser-known (but still wonderful) numbers.
Beverley Knight covers Jamiroquai's 'When You Gonna Learn', dropping the tempo a bit from the original.
It's a stunning album that shows an impressive range from a brilliant vocalist.
Knight picked the songs well, and it made Soul UK an album that feels like her own.
Nothing seems out of place or sticks out as being bad, with every track having the potential to be a single.
It's well-paced, moving from the up-beat ('Cuddly Toy') to the slower, tender ballads ('Damn') without feeling forced or disjointed.
The album just flows wonderfully, again down to the choice of songs and the structure of the track-listing.
Showing the extent of her talent, Soul UK ends beautifully on George Michael's 'One More Try'.
It proves that Beverley Knight is deserving of being called UK's Queen of Soul, and makes us hopeful for her next album of original material.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge
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