Izzy Bizu
A Moment of Madness (Deluxe Edition)
(Epic Records/Sony Music)
Izzy Bizu is a skateboarding enthusiast from South London, United Kingdom who has her own Yorkie Poo dog called Teddy and has just released her debut album ‘A Moment of Madness’. Born to an Ethiopian mother and English father, who met on a charity walk, it was his career in civil engineering that saw Izzy and her older brother living in the Middle-East for four years, spending their free days playing rugby and cricket, with frequent visits to her mother’s homeland. However, the family soon settled in South London and Izzy was announced as this year’s Brits Critics Choice finalist.
Opener ‘Diamond’ has a real laidback bass groove that doesn’t cover up her soulful lead vocals and I believe it can be as successful as Duffy’s ‘Mercy’. A percussive track with real soul that Rihanna probably would like in her discography if she didn’t already have ‘Diamonds In The Sky’.
‘White Tiger’ is Izzy’s new single taken from her debut album and the lead vocals at the beginning are erratically phrased which means the song only gains impetus once the beats kick in and some shape arrives. The piano is mellow and the track is perfect for club nights and television advert syncs but hasn’t quite grown on me yet.
‘Skinny’ has that rich Philadelphia soul approach with the lush horns, funky guitar and kick-a** drum beat. If the band’s brief was ‘America in the summer’ than they have fulfilled it with flying colours. Izzy’s voice excels on this as it has an incredibly smooth texture. My favourite cut on this release for sure.
‘Give Me Love’ had me racking my brains as I tried to think who this number reminded me of. You know when you have something on the tip of your tongue but it just doesn’t appear? The musical backing is quite frantic and fast as the strings swirl around the rhythm section. The track reminds me of Shingai Shoniwa of The Noisettes! They had hits like ‘Never Forget You’ and ‘Don’t Upset The Rhythm’ and had chart success with their album ‘Wild Young Hearts’.
This makes perfect sense as Izzy is 22 years old, so when The Noisettes released their material she would have grown up listening to them on the radio. A possible early influence I conclude.
‘Adam and Eve’ features a stunning electric guitar solo that blends well with the backing vocalists whilst ‘Gorgeous’ is Corinne Bailey Rae-esque from a production perspective. Extremely listenable but some people might feel it lacks originality.
‘What Makes You Happy’ showcases the talented musicians on this debut release and Izzy has this real pain behind her voice as she sings. Quite a special moment.
‘Circles’ slowly builds up to the chorus with such ease and I expect it will become a live favourite. ‘I Know’ feels like a driving song on a long trip. This is the closing track on the original release of the album but Sony Music have also released a deluxe edition of the album which includes four extra tracks.
The first of these tracks is ‘Fly With Your Eyes Closed’ is incredibly catchy and will have people dancing in no time. ‘Hello Crazy’ creates a Jamaican reggae vibe that is mixed with retro sounds to create a song that is radio-airplay friendly.
‘Someone That Loves You’ is exclusive to the deluxe version and cannot be purchased as a separate track on Amazon. It is a collaboration between Izzy and HONNE and both of their voices are melodic with clear diction. A definite party tune!
Closing track ‘Trees & Fire’ is essentially just beautiful piano and vocal and the chorus ‘Trees & Fire and don’t help themselves’ is well-thought out and well-written. A tender side to Izzy Bizu that helps the listener to hear the light and shade of her material.
In summary, ‘A Moment of Madness’ is pop album that is well recorded, features talented session musicians, catchy songs and a first-class vocal delivery by a rising star. Admittedly, it might not be the most original sounding album in parts but if you enjoy the music of artists such as The Sugababes, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Noisettes and AlunaGeorge than Izzy’s debut is one that you might want to give a listen to.
Glenn Sargeant
Izzy Bizu’s debut album ‘A Moment of Madness’ is out now on Epic Records/Sony Music as a standard CD, download and Deluxe CD with four extra tracks. Her new single ‘White Tiger’ is also out now. In addition, Izzy will be performing her biggest headline show in London on Wednesday 14th September 2016 at Koko, Camden, London, United Kingdom. For more information visit her official website here: http://bit.ly/2bI76TE
(Many thanks to Jenny Entwhistle at Chuff Media and Sony Music for help with this review)
