Album Review: Katy B, On A Mission

Album cover for 'On A Mission' by Katy B. Photo / Supplied

Katy B (real name Kathleen Bryan) is a fairly unlikely gritty dubstep queen. She's 21, pretty, and sings beautifully. But she is making waves in the beat community after teaming up with DJ NG's single Tell Me (What It Is) released through Ministry of Sound.

Her stroppy yet saintly voice attracted big name producers Geeneus and Zinc, who wanted to marry it with their infectious beats and no sooner was the word out than beat-boffins Benga and Benny Ill jumped on board to create a debut album so far from the groaning dance of revellers with whistles that it is almost enlightening.

Having grown up on R & B, Katy B oozes Destiny's Child-like attitude as she drizzles her vocal rhythms over the elevating pulse, but there's not a piercing shriek or strained, show-offy scale in earshot. She opens the album with Power On Me, which is not exactly the most inventive of dance tunes, but tumbles into Katy On a Mission - a feat of organised chaos that continues through the album. The rousing beats belong to the producers, but Katy B has penned the lyrics, and they are refreshingly intelligent. She and the producers appear to feed off one another, and they are careful not to overshadow her with platelet-damaging pulses, instead building emotion and suspense into her soulful stories through slips between ecstatic four-beats and wild salsa, surges of thick dubstep and even smatterings of jazz.

Stars: 4/5
Verdict: Dance that it's cool to sing to

- TimeOut