Album Reviews

Album review: Katy B – On A Mission (Sony/Columbia/Rinse)

By | Published on Thursday 10 March 2011

Katy B

Hailed as ‘the first lady of dubstep’ – a fairly spurious claim if you’ve heard anything other than her breakthrough single ‘Katy On A Mission’ – Katy B was one of 2010’s most unlikely underground stars, she being another of the seemingly ubiquitous alumni of The BRIT School.

‘Katy On A Mission’, produced by Benga, was a big success; an infectious club track, garnering hundreds of thousands of YouTube views in the matter of a few weeks (YouTube views being today’s equivalent of being featured on ‘Top Of The Pops’, I assume).

So, what of the full length LP? It’s good, but perhaps not as good as it could have been. Katy obviously has a great talent for creating enticing vocal melodies, and these are what shine through the most. But while the vocal work stays consistent, the tracks, created with a variety of producers, including Benga and early collaborators Geeneus and Zinc, sometimes don’t quite fit. Latest single ‘Broken Record’ is evidence of this, a song that would be suited to a more simplistic backing is heavily layered with breakbeats and synths. But mostly it triumphs. ‘Go Away’ is a darker departure to the rest of the record, and previous single ‘Lights On’, which features Ms Dynamite, is irresistibly funky.

All in all, I’m impressed. It will be interesting to see how Katy progresses from here, and who she chooses to work with in the future. JJB

Physical release: 4 Apr



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