Dara Blaxx is a 25 year old British Nigerian singer-songwriter who discovered her voice at the tender age of sixteen; and wow, what a voice. Soulful, sultry, and powerfully seductive, Dara has all the smoky, late-night elements of soul, Motown, blues, and jazz rolled up into one beautiful vocal performance. There’s elements of Sade, Joss Stone, and Dina Carroll in the timbre of her lower register, for sure, but also older classics like Etta James, Betty Wright, and Brenda Holloway.
‘Before I Leave’ is a beautifully performed tale of love and loss, and the indecision around staying or leaving; deep trap-soul beats and groove, a real R&B feel, added to the emotional vocal, make ‘Before I Leave’ – from Blaxx’s debut 6-track EP ‘Arrythmia’ – an absolute powerhouse soul track. Already hitting playlists on BBC Music Introducing in the West Midlands and in the Solent, this deserves to be all over daytime radio this summer. It’s beautiful.
You can hear ‘Before I Leave’, and the rest of the “Arrhythmia” EP, on Soundcloud. Follow Dara Blaxx on Facebook.
Review by Alex Holmes.