Daphne Willis - What To Say

Young Chicago singer/songwriter Daphne Willis brings a nimble soulfulness and lithe, laid-back vibe to her rhythmic Jack Johnson-styled jam pop debut What To Say, hitting February 9 via Vanguard. Fronting a well-oiled band that clearly knows its way around a tight, jazzy/reggae-tinged beat, the 22-year-old Willis keeps her approach fresh and brisk with a smokey vocal style that is all perceptive sass and tumbling, tongue-twisted verbal wit. With an unpretentious attitude, Willis and band deliver sharply etched, emotional and lyrical portraits that go down even easier when tacked on to a loose and limber instrumental backing.

While Willis and band had developed a solid and growing touring base in Chicago and midwest campuses, it wasn't until the head of Vanguard happened to catch a few Willis tracks on an airline in-flight, ear-bud serenade that the wheels really began to turn. Tracked down, signed and given studio support (especially a "revved up" sonic kick from producer Tim Lauer), Willis and her tight-knit band finished fleshing out versions of songs honed on the club stage and emerged with What To Say. The swaying, shimmering, tropic-heated single "Bluff", folk-pop confessional "Still Tryin'" and funky shuffle "Everybody Else" highlight a promising, sure-footed album that's already garnering solid advance buzz. Recommended.

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Daphne Willis - "Bluff" (from the album What To Say)

Daphne Willis - "Love and Hate" (from the album What To Say)