Lizz Fields

Having started the demand for her music by playing and selling it in the part-time furniture store she worked in, Lizz Fields’ debut record has been slightly reworked adding a couple of remixes for this release on Beni B’s ABB Soul label. Listening to the record it’s easy to see why word of mouth and tastemakers have helped raise Fields’ profile. Her delicate voice caresses the tracks with jazzy phrasing in a manner that’s not unlike Jill Scott. In fact, Fields also hails from Philly and was actually once a backup singer for Scott. But as well as drawing on the familiar groove Philly soul has been known for in the past few years, Fields also eagerly embraces the skittish drum patterns and moody ambience associated with UK down-tempo acts. On "Silent Symphony,” she showcases her pronounced b-girl strut, cooing achingly over a smart interpolation of Black Moon’s "I Gotcha Opin.” While the production occasionally lets her down, Fields’ aura wins through and her yearning for harmony and balance fuels the record’s strongest moments. The immediacy of the rich detail of "When I See Love” marks her as a charming songwriter and "I Gotta Go” is a pointed yet humorous resignation letter that without doubt confirms that quitting her day job was the right thing to do.