Hollie Smith: E. P.

Herald rating: * * * *

Wellington singer/songwriter with soul to make Joss Stone blush

You have to ask one thing about that Wellington lot. You know them, Fat Freddy's Drop, TrinityRoots, Black Seeds. Are they a little too laid back for their own good?

That's the first impression you get from Hollie Smith on a track like First Time. It's smooth, sophisticated and deliciously soulful stuff but the music only lopes along - until it breaks away with a skank of reggae. That roots-reggae influence sets Smith apart from being just another R&B vocalist. Her serenade of "Jah lives in me", in Prayer, is no lie. Lost Your Soul starts in a similar relaxed way, but halfway through goes into an instrumental ego-fest with TrinityRoots' Warren Maxwell on organ and Rio Hemopo on bass. Elsewhere, these five tracks suggest a Fat Freddy's with female vocals. Smith says she called this E. P. because people were expecting an album. A classy start, but L. P. will be the real test.

Label: Rhythmethod