A talented artist who should be proud of her hustle. 

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An independent artist, Bashiyra began her career delivering backing vocals for big-hitters such as Michael Bolton, Patti Labelle, and Diana Ross. In 2009 she released her debut album Thought You Knew, followed by 2013’s One Shot At Love. Last night at South London’s Hideaway, she celebrated the launch of her third studio album, Independent. A project eight years in the making, Independent blends soul, R&B, and quiet-storm.

In recent years Bashiyra has attracted buzz within the UK soul scene. From her vocals alone, it is easy to understand why. She has an expansive range, with an elastic, piercing upper-register. It worked perfectly on the high-energy numbers of last night’s set (‘Want Chu’ Back’, ‘Life’s So Fun’, ‘Mystified’), with Bashiyra’s vocals cutting through the heady arrangements. However, her voice felt far too over-exercised on some of the ballads of the evening (‘Independent’, ‘Loneliness Won’t Leave Me’), whose climaxes were marred with superfluous vocal pyrotechnics.

Though largely showcasing Independent’s original material, the set featured a handful of covers. Firstly, Bashiyra covered Brenda Russell’s 1988 hit ‘Piano in the Dark’ (featured on the album). She and the band, anchored by musical director David Elevique, modernised the arrangement, creating a swelling climax and adding a call and response segment between Bashiyra and her backing vocalists. Her rendition of the Bee Gees’ ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ (1977) was performed in soulful, quiet-storm style. And, of course, there was the welcome tribute to the recently departed Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin – a crowd-pleasing (if somewhat clunky) medley of her greatest hits. Backing vocalist Jennifer Dawodu delivered a startling performance of Franklin’s career-defining ‘Respect’, wailing, scatting, and, in want of a better phrase, getting dirty with it.

Out of the set, three originals stood out. ‘Delightful’ was written by Bashiyra in collaboration with Richard Rudolph (Minnie Riperton’s husband and co-writer of songs such as ‘Lovin’ You’) and Crystal Johnson (who has written for the likes of Mariah Carey and Jennifer Hudson). As Bashiyra noted, the song stands out from the other tracks on Independent due to its mellow groove. The chorus has a retro, jazz-pop feel and Bashiyra ad-libbed nicely over the chorus using the lighter tones of her voice. The reggae breakdown lifted the song further.

On the other end of the spectrum is ‘Want Chu’ Back’ – an energised track with an immediately stirring groove. Bashiyra’s voice blasted through, with excellent bass work from Peter Honegan.

The highlight of her set was ‘Just Can’t Be Wrong’ – an original song where Bashiyra croons about catching the eye of a dashing gentleman in a local café. Lyrically, it evokes Alicia Keys’ ‘You Don’t Know My Name’, albeit with more shyness. The groove is reminiscent of early noughties R&B (think Jill Scott). Whereas the studio version fades out gently, last night the band jammed brilliantly at the song’s climax.

The Full band:

Bashiyra – Lead vocals
David Elevique – Musical Director/Piano/Keyboards
Josephine Smith – Backing Vocals
Jennifer Dawodu – Backing Vocals
Peter Honegan – Bass
Clive McKinley – Guitar
Lewis Partridge – Drums

(Image taken from Hideaway website)