Yebba
Dawn
RCA
Listen Below
Abigail Smith from West Memphis, Arkansas is better known as Yebba, who first punctured public consciousness in 2016 when she sang backing vocals on Chance The Rapper’s SNL performance of “Same Drugs.” The following year, Yebba revealed she was signed to Ed Sheeran’s record label having performed a song called “My Mind” that left him in tears, and all was set to explode for the Clark Sisters inspired singer.
A little over a week after that debut song was written and performed, her world shattered as she lost her mother to suicide. Plans changed in the short term, but the goal and dream remained, and she set about establishing herself through a series of guest spots and collaborations, winning a GRAMMY Award along the way with PJ Morton for their version of “How Deep Is Your Love.” Amongst those collaborators was Mark Ronson, with whom she worked on the 2019 album Late Night Feelings (singing 3 songs) and he pops up here on her debut album Dawn to produce and, at times, co-write.
If you judge the content of a person’s character by the company they keep, then Yebba is certainly worthy of high praise indeed. Apart from the presence of Mark Ronson on production duties, she also has KAYTRANADA on the desk for “Love Come Down” and a co-write with Q-Tip on “Louie Bag.” But by far the most exciting detail of the liner notes is the presence of a trio of neo-soul titans: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Welsh bass wizard Pino Palladino and Sheffield’s finest, James Poyser. As a fan enthralled by D’Angelo’s Voodoo (2000) album, Yebba has pulled of a coup by uniting these three exceptional musicians, especially given their doubtless chaotic schedules. It is a pure joy to hear them play together.
Despite those guest slots, there is no doubting whose party it is though—Yebba’s voice dominates proceedings from beginning to end. Her wonderful elastic vocals stretch every which way to great effect, yet it never feels tricksy or boastful, as the moments when she reveals vocal runs are in service to the song and are, consequently, deeply moving.
Unsurprisingly, the gut-wrenching experience of losing her mother looms large on her inaugural affair, as evidenced on album opener “How Many Years.” In fact, it is the first line that digs deep into her pain: “How many years will it take for these tears to dry?”
The fact that the second line beseeches God to not abandon her points to her upbringing in the church—a fact made clear by the vocal power she possesses and the aforementioned influence of the legendary Clark Sisters.
“Stand” interpolates one of the songs from Ronson’s album (“When U Went Away”) and transforms it into an altogether more intoxicating beast, with a purer form of Yebba’s voice spiraling and diving at will. One of the joys of the album is the way in which she is able to sing against a variety of backdrops and never sound anything less than amazing. She is at home with the warm embrace of the Fender Rhodes on the opener, against the driving beat of “Boomerang” and the gently throbbing pulse of the KAYTRANADA aided “Love Come Down”—she is a pure and enthralling singer.
If there’s a slight misgiving, it is the presence of two almost pointless features from ASAP Rocky and Smino on “Far Away” and “Louie Bag,” respectively. The only purpose of them I can imagine (beyond the corrupting influence of marketing and algorithms) is the fact that it just made me long even more for the return of Yebba’s voice.
That grumble notwithstanding, the album showcases not just the tonal quality of her voice but also the interesting choices of phrasing that she makes. This is shown well on “All I Ever Wanted” (particularly during the verses) to the accompaniment of subtle strings and guitar, when the patterns of phrasing stutter and stammer in unexpected ways.
Elsewhere, the gentle acoustic soul of “October Sky” sits comfortably alongside the jaunty drum programming of “Louie Bag” and the Holy Trinity of Neo-Soul unite to create a delicious slice of Badu-like fare on “Distance.” The quality of contributors throughout is more than matched by the vocal performances and this results in an album of deep joy—one that underlines the value of a voice raised in the church and steeped in the vocal traditions of those that came before her.
Notable Tracks: “Boomerang” | “Distance” | “Louie Bag” | “Stand”
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