(Atlantic)
The British singer’s second album finds her on confident form, outshining big-name appearances from Stormzy and Jojo
Signed when she was just 13, Leicester-born singer-songwriter Mahalia Burkmar has had a meandering journey to R&B stardom. Breaking through with 2017’s head-nodding single Sober, she has gone on to develop a distinctive brand of neo-soul blended with defiant lyrics, producing hits such as I Wish I Missed My Ex from her 2019 debut album Love & Compromise, as well as lending her silken vocals to guest verses with rappers Pa Salieu, Stormzy and Ty Dolla $ign. Having won two Mobo awards and been nominated for a Grammy and an Ivor Novello, Mahalia is now well established at 25. Her second album, IRL, is testament to this self-assured status, with its 13 tracks of slick soul.
She kicks off in fighting fashion, singing: “You thought I was finished”, but soon concluding that no one can silence her song, on the yearning Ready. Artfully layered, groove-laden percussion and warm melody produce the infectious syncopated hook of In My Bag, the radio-friendly singalong of Terms and Conditions and the guitar-strumming funk of Lose Lose. Yet starry guest spots let the record down. Cheat, featuring Jojo, opts for a monotonous, nursery-rhyme melody, while Stormzy shakily croons on November, jarring us out of Mahalia’s otherwise gorgeously delicate vocal.