Lady Blackbird – Black Acid Soul (LP, Warner)

Lady Blackbird didn’t mean to soundtrack a revolution. But last spring, that’s exactly what she did. On May 27, 2020 Los Angeles-based singer Marley Munroe released her debut single. Now, “the Grace Jones of Jazz, ” as dubbed by BBC’s Gilles Peterson, presents her debut album, Black Acid Soul. Minimal yet rich, classic yet timely, the album connects backwards to Miles Davis (his pianist, Deron Johnson, plays Steinway Baby Grand, Mellotron and Casio Synth throughout) and forwards to Pete Tong (he made the Bruise mix of ‘Collage’ his Number Two Essential Selection tune of 2020) and, yes, Victoria Beckham – Matthew Herbert’s remix of second single “Beware The Stranger” soundtracked the designer’s Spring/Summer 2020 Fashion show. It’s 11 tracks have a sound, feeling and attitude that speak of Lady Blackbird’s deep experiences in music, stretching all the way back to infancy. This is Black Acid Soul, and this is the first crucial album of 2021. Are you ready to fly with Lady Blackbird?