Search - Laura Izibor :: Let the Truth Be Told

The Dublin diva is soon to go global with her sincere,crosso

ST | New York City | 06/16/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Irish diva is soon to go global via her debut album on Atlantic.

This album from the young Dubliner was set to be released on Jive Records three years ago, but got shelved. Then, another label, Atlantic, took their time in deciding just when it should see be released.

"Let The Truth Be Told" reveals not only that capacious voice, but also a confident commercial songwriter - its collection of wholesome pop being penned entirely by Laura herself.

From soulful ballads through orchestral anthems (all pizzicato strings and sisterhood sincerity) to a clipped and sassy R&B swagger, her take on classic femme soul may not be rocking any boats, but earworms such as "Don't Stay" and new single "Shine" exude enough crossover familiarity to become retail and ringtone fixtures.

The CD is a glossy-sounding album of funky soul-pop tunes with Izibor's unique stamp all over them. Her smoky voice rides over the album's strong melodies and establishes her as one of the current vocalists in today's soul scene.

"...It's so glossy, however, that there's no rough-'round-the-edges charm, or distinctive quality about it." - Lauren Murphy

The first track "Shine" kicks the album off to a slightly energetic start, with a very catchy chorus, but then "Dont Stay", the second song, takes the tempo down a notch or two, while maintaining a swaying rhythm.

In fact she showcases her versatility by switching the tempo throughout the album. "If Tonight Is My Last" is a gorgeous, emotive mid-tempo track whilst "The Worst Is Over" is the album's big piano ballad, and most beautiful moment.

The dreamy "Yes (I'll Be Your Baby)" adds some finger-clicking sass into the mix and has an edgier street sound and you can imagine this ripping up the charts In US, while the likeable "From My Heart to Yours" borrows from the songbook of Lauryn Hill and dramatic piano ballad "Perfect World" from that one of Alicia Keys.

Best, though, is the full-blown gospel soul of "Mmm", which is authentically beautiful.

Expressive and powerful, the Rathfarnham singer is blessed with vocals to elevate even the most banal song.

Not that her voice needs to compensate for weak compositions here : the bulk of these 10 soul songs, mainly written by Izibor, are very well crafted.

"Let The Truth Be Told" is a promising debut album by anyone's standards and hopefully it points to a long and fruitful career. She has an incredible voice, a knack for a melody and an album full of potential hits.

Realistically, it's a very well crafted, inoffensive album which will not break any ground.

There's nothing particularly innovative, but good music nonetheless.

Enjoy this album for the bright songs that will make you smile. Just don't expect too much from it. It won't change your world, it won't make you think deeply about life.

But certainly it will ensure a great career ahead of her."

A soul revival!

Nse Ette | Lagos, Nigeria | 07/14/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Laura Izibor is a 22 year old singer/songwriter of Irish and Nigerian origin. "Let the truth be told" is her debut CD and made the US top 40 (#27). I discovered her from Amazon's reccommendation. She came up while I was writing my review of Maxwell's new CD so I figured she had to be good.



Hers is a piano-driven retro Soul sound with a Jazzy feel, think Alicia Keys, Corinne Bailey Rae, or the AWOL Lauryn Hill and you begin to get the picture. At 10 tracks running just over 37 minutes, she definitely does not overstay her welcome.



Opening the disc is the upbeat horn peppered aptly titled "Sunshine". "Don't stay" is an organ drenched ballad I could imagine Candi Staton singing. This is one of those albums where it is tough to pick standouts. "What would you do" is simply beautiful and so soulful. The more upbeat "From my heart to yours" sets Hip Hop beats to a groovy bassline, a la Lauryn Hill. The swirling "Perfect world" is so Alicia Keys as is the Bluesy "I don't want you back", while the pair of "The worst is over" and "Mmm" (the latter with Gospel-type humming and organs) are delicate stripped piano ballads with her vocals pushed to the fore.



However, as tough as it was, my favourite is the upbeat Hip Hop-tinged "Yes (I'll be your baby)"; horns, hard hitting beats, cascading harmonies and wah wah guitars. Awesome!



What a ride, shame it's over too soon."

From Her Voice to My Ears--Love It

ShoeADDICT | Cleveland, OH | 09/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first time I heard of Laura Izibor was on the radio, and the song they were playing was "From My Heart to Yours". I said, WOW, I love this song. So I went on the Amazon website, looked up the artist by name, and found what I was looking for. Then I decided to play the samples to see if the rest of her songs were equally as beautiful, and that is when I decided that I have to have this CD. I recommend it to all music lovers no matter what genre of music you prefer. I think you will be pleasantly surprised! You don't have to take my word for it. Just do as I did, and sample."