This was arguably the most assured and fully realized breakthrough debut album of the year. Reminiscent of the way Norah Jones first landed with a classic showcase calling card record nearly two decades earlier, this does the exact same thing, firing straight out of the barrel and hitting the bullseye. Lady Blackbird, the performing name of Marley Munroe from Los Angeles, is the kind of jazz singer that infuses soul into her style the moment she steps in front of a microphone. And because she has such an incredible stimulating voice, her collaborators in producing this album (including heavy jazz hitters such as former Miles Davis pianist Deron Johnson) clearly knew that the main objective was to put that voice front and center. They pulled this task off so convincingly that any uninformed listener would be forgiven for assuming this to be cut in the classic late sixties, early seventies analogue era of recording, the work of some long-established legendary diva. The singing is all command, as the music warmly wraps itself around the vocals without ever hustling for the spotlight. At times it is quite bold in its gentle serenity, allowing the performance to breathe as an orchestral conductor would, the audio is absolutely alive with feeling.

‘Black Acid Soul’ is kind of a statement of content in itself, both as an album title and too in the wavy psychedelic lettering of the striking cover design, you are invited to expect a certain kind of content within. It is the sort of heading you could reasonably expect someone like Nina Simone to have her name associated with around the early seventies. Therefore, it is no surprise to find that there is a Simone connection in the name Lady Blackbird, paid homage to with the opening track, an arresting version of Nina’s ‘Blackbird.’ Much like the Norah Jones record I referred to, this collection to is a tastefully curated selection of song interpretations with a splattering of original material mixed in. One massive stand out number is a killer take on a little known 1967 track by Soul artist Reuben Bell called ‘It’s Not That Easy’. The piano is especially aching as it’s punctuation echoes to the sky, the organ notes tap tap tap a pensive backdrop, but the core of the performance is Munroe’s definitive delivery.

As any great singer should, Lady Blackbird makes the material she covers very much her own. When you consider that among these are selections like Tim Hardin’s ‘It’ll Never Happen Again’ and a tune best known by New Orleans soul queen Irma Thomas, ‘Ruler Of My Heart,’ then to say she succeeds in putting her own stamp on them is a huge compliment. Her own creative muscles are flexed with a re-working of Bill Evans famous ‘Peace, Peace’ wherein Munroe and fellow collaborator Chris Seefried transform it into a lyrical work called ‘Fix It.’ Elsewhere, the same pair are responsible for ‘Five Feet Tall’ and, along with the superb ‘Nobody’s Sweetheart’ by Seefried alone, the new stuff does not impose any dip in quality whatsoever. Therefore, the album does contain a sheen that is both classic and new all rolled into one. The record ends in a manner that should encourage listeners to watch keenly where Lady Blackbird could progress from here on in, for the title track is an ensemble collaboration that suggests in its sonic inflexions, that there is much to come from this artist, ‘Black Acid Soul’ is a mere launchpad and Lady Blackbird is certainly worthy of our continued enthused attention.

Find a vinyl pressing of this album here: https://www.discogs.com/release/20174482-Lady-Blackbird-Black-Acid-Soul