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JOY DENALANE
Born & Raised
Nesola
****

In her native Germany, Joy Denalane is a star with a stack of hits to her credit; elsewhere she's a complete unknown. Singing now in English rather than German, she may change that situation with Born & Raised. As more and more r'n'b vocalists stick to a formula, Denalane stands apart by virtue of her conviction and style. There's no ham-fisted faux sincerity

or over-egged emotions here, just Denalane's powerful, confident voice underlining some extremely strong and substantial songs. Lupe Fiasco (Change) and Raekwon (Heaven or Hell) provide guest stints, but it's really Denalane who carries the day with the assistance of a fine crew of musicians from Philadelphia. Sure, Denalane's a fan of Mary J Blige

(check Joy and the title track for the memo on that one), but she's no conveyor-belt clone, as the wonderfully old-school 7 Year Itch and the highly evocative Soweto '76-'06 show. One of the finest soul albums in an age. www.joydenalane.com

Download tracks: Change, 7 Year Itch