Own Your Own Records
Voice Notes has felt like a long time coming, and thankfully, Yazmin Lacey doesn’t disappoint, providing an intimate, soothing landscape. Lacey has long been a part of the UK’s flourishing jazz and soul revival since rising through Giles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings’ Future Bubblers talent scheme, releasing her debut EP, Black Moon, in 2017. Recorded in a makeshift living room studio, Black Moon garnered significant hype, introducing the world to Lacey’s delicate, soulful tones.
A year later, she released her second EP, the groovy and vibrant When the Sun Dips 90 Degrees, as Britain’s jazz scene really started to take off. A further string of singles followed in 2020, culminating in the EP Morning Matters, which saw her teaming up with some of UK jazz’s leading lights, Moses Boyd and Ezra Collective’s Femi Koleoso and Ife Ogunijobi. Morning Matters was an ode to self-development and resilience that felt particularly appropriate as it was released in the early, unsettling days of the pandemic. Three impressive EPs created an appetite for something more substantial, an itch that Lacey has now scratched.
After almost ten years living in Nottingham, Lacey is now back in London, where she grew up in a musical-loving home, embracing the city’s bustling and collaborative jazz scene. Lacey describes the record as expanding upon her previous work: “exploring further and deeper”. The exploration is noticeable in the album’s varied soundscape; Voice Notes celebrates black culture, embracing and celebrating the different strands of black British music. Variety was a deliberate decision from Lacey, as she wanted the record to encompass “UK Soul in all its forms”, exploring its influences and adding her exquisite voice.
For instance, the beautifully languid ‘From a Lover’ is a nod to the Lovers’ rock she grew up listening to, which formed a crucial part of London reggae’s scene in the 70s. ‘Tomorrow’s Child’ is similarly reggae influenced, Lacey reworking the dub classic, ‘King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown’. Elsewhere, ‘Sign and Signal’ brings a hazy, semi-psychedelic groove, while ‘Eye to Eye’ is a lovely, sultry piece of slow-funk riffs slinking off into the distance gracefully. ‘Pass it Back’ has a similarly understated funky energy, while the highlight, ‘Where Did You Go?’ is a silky smooth piece of R&B, Lacey’s voice reaching new heights.
The sonic exploration is supplemented by the core jazz sound that has become synonymous with Lacey’s work, such as in the wonderfully rhythmic drumming of ‘Fools Gold’ and ‘Pass it Back’. The vulnerable energy of ‘Pieces’, where Lacey sings of heartbreak, is enhanced by the mournful sound of the saxophone, while the distant sound of the drums and keys allows Lacey’s vulnerability to shine through. Producer Dave Okumu does an excellent job of ensuring Lacey’s voice is the centre piece, creating a wonderfully intimate atmosphere.
Though everything feels blissful and dialled down, there’s an abundance of hooks throughout, Lacey’s voice slyly wrapping around you. The chorus of ‘Late Night People’ is gorgeous in its simplicity, as is ‘Match in my Pocket’, where the layered vocals weave in and out of each other beautifully. On ‘Pass it Back’, Lacey creates a compelling hook for almost three minutes by simply elongating and stretching the word I; it’s simple but oddly captivating.
Lyrically the album often sees Lacey searching for peace of mind. On ‘Where Did You Go’, she feels she’s losing her identity, singing, “I feel like I’m losing me”, while ‘Sign and Signal’ sees her “searching for a symbol”. In ‘Tomorrow’s Child’, there’s a sense of apprehension as she asks, “What does tomorrow bring?”. Voice Notes suggests intimacy, and Lacey delivers, whether she’s wrestling “with the demon on my shoulder” in ‘Bad Company’ or mourning the loss of her nan on the touching ‘Legacy’.
Lacey never intended to get into the music business, and you wonder if a lack of confidence has held her back in the past. But Voice Notes sees her tackling her vulnerabilities, and the assured nature of her performance demonstrates that Lacey should have no worries about her ability. Voice Notes is an excellent debut, continuously engaging through its subtle shifts in sound and the captivating sound of Lacey’s voice. By the time you get to the closer, the wonderfully tranquil ‘Sea Glass’, Lacey’s soothing tones have transported you into the deepest realms of relaxation.