Sarah Williams White has trickle-fed her music since the release of Hide The Cracks / Charlie back in 2011. We’ve only recently caught wind of White and ever since “Winter Sun” dropped, the TS blog has been eagerly awaiting the release of her first album.
The South Londoner released “Of The New World” last week and, since, we’ve had it on steady rotation. The talented multi-instrumentalist and vocalist is part of a close-knit community of musicians that includes Al Dobson Jr, Henry Wu, Mo Kolours, Reginald Omas Mamode IV, Jeen Bassa as well as her brother Paul White. Her influences include Jamie Lidell, Erykah Badu and PJ Harvey as well as more contemporary acts such as Hiatus Kaiyote, Jamie Woon and Thundercat. You can hear the influences in her sound that mixes soulful, intricate vocals with subtle beats and layered harmonies.
Over 12 tracks (7 songs and 5 interludes/soundscapes), this mini-album showcases Sarah’s range of abilities. Tracks like “Hum” and “Winter Sun” highlight her delicate yet powerfully soulful voice, while “Rainmaker” and “New World” show her ear for unusual beats and deft musicianship. Elsewhere the hypnotic interludes (“Arrival”, “Adrift”) would not be out-of-place in the most abstract work of her fellow South Londoners over at the 22a label.
Over it’s all too brief 27 minutes, this is an album that draws the listener into its unique sound – drawing an ethereal thread through a work of wide and ambitious influences.
Press play below to stream the entire project, or use it to go directly over to her Bandcamp page to purchase the album. It goes without saying, but, we’ll be having this album on rotation for the immediate future and beyond.
8/10
