Album: Merenia Gillies - Libertine

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Something crazy has happened. I just found myself involuntarily head-bopping to an Australian female soul artist. Now, I don’t want to say that Australian based soul artists are no good, it’s just that there aren’t many of them! So, when I came across Libertine by Sydney talent Merenia Gillies I was pleasantly surprised.

The first track Act Like You Love Me is a very fun little gem that has a fairly catchy hook. Old School is a little disappointing, however tracks such as Lay Back show a real talent is on offer, and that this could be an artist we will hear more about. In fact, Lay Back has one of the better funk bass lines I’ve heard in a while, and the way Gillies voice floats effortlessly through the instrumentation is very enjoyable. In her linear notes, Merenia thanks “everyone who has influenced her ever”, but surely this must include the likes of India.Arie and British soulstress Alice Russell.

One cautionary word would be to advise the artist to stay away from the 'Afrobeat' found in the album, but the inclusion of a couple of live tracks, This One Be Killa and Blue Skies is a nice touch on an album that is overall pretty pleasing, and more or less sustained my head-bopping throughout.

Available through Inertia Records