Izibor channels American soul by way of Ireland

By Jason Lipshutz
NEW YORK (Billboard) – Irish singer-songwriter Laura Izibor didn't know she could sing until she was 13, but once she did, she knew she was on to something.

"I was in drama class at school and the teacher asked everyone to get up to sing. I was pleading, 'Please don't ask me,'" Izibor says. "But I got up and sang. My heart was in my throat, and the class and the teacher said I had something. So I had to pursue it."

Seven years later, 21-year-old Izibor's dazzling vocal range and soul music have pegged her as an artist to watch. Izibor will perform at select shows in the States, including a show at New York's Cutting Room on December 3.

With its slick piano hook, playful lyrics and throwback feel, her first single, "From My Heart to Yours," serves as the perfect precursor to "Let the Truth Be Told," Izibor's debut full-length on Atlantic Records, slated for an early 2009 release.

As a teenager in Dublin, Izibor began honing her craft with voice lessons, piano lessons and performances at summer art school. At 15, she won Ireland's 2FM Song Contest, a radio competition that landed her in national newspapers and generated label interest. She signed to Jive Records on her 17th birthday and began recording parts of "Truth" in New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Dublin. After amicably splitting with Jive two years ago, Izibor signed to Atlantic and finished the album, all while performing sold-out shows in Ireland and opening for R&B stars like Al Green and Angie Stone.

"Let the Truth Be Told," which Izibor wrote and co-produced, blends old-school R&B traditions with modern production. She credits an early gravitation toward classic soul artists like Otis Redding and Roberta Flack for the album's timeless feel.

"I just think when you're a kid, a black kid living on Ireland, the music you love and the artists you love don't come from one place," Izibor says.

As her songwriting continues to draw comparisons to contemporaries like Jill Scott and Lauryn Hill, Izibor still feels connected to the rich past of soul music, and is proud that "Let the Truth Be Told" wears its inspirations on its sleeve. "Every one of my heroes is on there," she says.

Reuters/Billboard