‘Effortless vocals to soothe the soul’

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Hil St Soul is cool, unpretentious, and charming. And with a cult following to boot: she had two sold-out shows at the Hideaway last February, and a sold-out show at Pizza Express High Holborn last night.

Positioned as the British response to the likes of Erykah Badu, India Arie, and Angie Stone when she first arrived on the scene with her 1999 debut Soul Organic, Hil St Soul (born Hilary Mwelwa) has always occupied a treasured place in the London soul scene. Her music has that carefree noughties soul/R&B vibe, exemplified last night by tracks such as ‘Nostalgia’ (Soul Organic), ‘Wash Away’ (from 2008’s Black Rose), and ‘Don’t Forget the Ghetto’ (Black Rose).

Compared to her more raspy contemporaries, Hil’s voice glistens in its smoothness. With effortless vocals to soothe the soul, she glides over the material, never overdoing the melisma but also showing surprising amounts of power and range when appropriate.

There is also an understated, quietly confident sex appeal to the way she performs. She infused this into her performance of the tongue-in-cheek ‘All That (+ a Bag O’Chips)’. After a segue into Michael Jackson’s ‘I Can’t Help It’, she returned to the chorus with greater thrust. On ‘Hey Boy’, a cut from her 2006 album SOULidified, she captured the heady, fluttery effects of infatuation, aided by a moody coda from the excellent band.

‘Pieces’, from her sophomore Copasetik and Cool, widened the emotional range of the set. A gorgeous R&B ballad and one of her most impassioned vocals of the night, Hil evoked the sense of frustration of the lyric (‘This constant arguing / Is doing me in / I just can’t seem to win / And I can’t seem to please you‘).

The second set featured covers of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Until You Come Back to Me’ (penned by Stevie Wonder), Dexter Wansel’s ‘The Sweetest Pain’, and Bob Marley and the Wailers’ ‘Turn Your Lights Down Low’ (beautifully sung). ‘I’ve Got Me’, from Copasetik and Cool, was a set highlight. Paying homage to her old-school soul influences, she spliced in the Staple Singer’s ‘If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me)’. She weaved her way between the tables at the venue, sharing her joy with the audience.

The Full Band

Guitar – Mike Brown
Bass & MD – Pete Honegan
Keys – David Elevique
Drums – Chris Morris
Background vocals – Noreen & Cleo Stewart

(Image taken from Hil St Soul’s Facebook page)