Lianne La Havas

Beautiful, charming, confident and talented. All these and other positive attributes exist within this starlet in the making, certainly one of the best artists to have emerged in recent years. Tonight’s long sold out show is part of the continuing validation of her and her debut album, ‘Is Your Love Big Enough?’ which has deservedly been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and would be a popular winner. Adept at the guitar too, her largely finger-picking style provides the basis for her voice, a wonderfully honeyed and versatile instrument capable of everything from gently hushed intonations to rasping jazzy soul, but remaining controlled and unfussy. On her own for a few songs, and with her five piece band for others, she largely replicates the albums sounds that somehow fuses soul, folk, r’n’b and jazz to produce something very contemporary and fresh. Engaging to boot, only a bitter grump could not be won over by this.

Concorde 2, 18 October 2012

Rating: