Following an inspiring hiatus where she toured extensively with some of the world’s most notable artists, West London’s Izzi Dunn is ready to return with her scintillating second album Cries And Smiles in 2010.

Cries And Smiles is the latest unique chapter from a self-sufficient musician (she writes, produces and plays most of her own material) who has already had a remarkable career. The new album showcases her skills as a versatile singer-songwriter who has some important things to say. Her distinctive, soulful voice is on full display. However, her skills as a cellist and arranger, continually honed since childhood, are an indispensable aspect of proceedings. There are no sampled strings here people.

Izzi is that rarest of things: a genuinely multi-talented artist who performs to the highest standard at whatever she puts her mind to. Her debut album, The Big Picture, was a critically acclaimed underground hit in 2004. The record placed her at the forefront of all the newest innovations that were revolutionising soul music in the UK during the early years of the new millennium.

As a session musician, she’s played for the likes of George Harrison, Natalie Imbruglia, Chaka Khan and Soul II Soul. Izzi has also graced the cream of the UK music scene with her talents. The Brand New Heavies, Roots Manuva, Beverley Knight, Jamelia and Bugz In The Attic are just a few of those who have benefited.

It was as a cellist – she also heads a string section named The Demon Strings – that Izzi was called upon to tour with artists like Damon Albarn and Mark Ronson. The universally positive reaction to The Big Picture was the reason Izzi was asked by Albarn to add her vibe to the Gorillaz album Demon Days. This led to her touring with Albarn’s next ‘super group’ The Good, The Bad And The Queen for around a year. Once that was done she was off around the world again, this time with Mark Ronson and his all-star revue. “I’ve been having a brilliant time while I’ve been working on this album,” she says of the last couple of years.

Cries And Smiles was helped along by some of the people she spent time on the road with. Bootie Brown, of the legendary LA hip-hop quartet The Pharcyde, was a regular fixture on the Demon Days tour. He spits some science on the string-infested, laidback dub head-nodder Loser. However, while the song has a relaxing, mid-tempo sound bed, the lyrics take the listener to a slightly more melancholy place than the music may immediately suggest, playing with the modern perceptions of success and failure.

Renowned bass player Stuart Zender was a fixture on Mark Ronson’s Versions tour and he does his thing on the retro leaning Analogue Girl. The lush horn and string bathed track summons up the all the sensibilities of early Stax recordings and is the perfect counterpoint to Izzi’s insightful and sharp analysis of where technology is taking us.

Andrew Levy of The Brand New Heavies and Kaidi Tatham of Bugz In The Attic also put in notable appearances on the title track and the album’s opener Tits And Ass respectively.
Tits And Ass, which expertly and bravely derails the sexism and hypocrisy that many take for granted ( lads mags, some rap videos and the like) is likely to be the first, if you like, announcement that the album is coming. The soon to be certified anthem Nothing But Love is the first single proper. It’s a beautiful piece of timeless, laidback UK soul which will be loved by anyone with even a little bit of that quality inside them.

Izzi’s artistry represents the next step in a proud tradition of British soul that dates back to Loose Ends and Soul II Soul in the eighties and The Young Disciples, Omar and The Brand New Heavies in the early nineties. However the alternative scene, in particular Portishead and Massive Attack has a large influence on Izzi’s sound. New millennium soul music, of which Cries & Smiles is at the forefront, utilises all of these sonic and cultural influences while simultaneously incorporating all of the vibes and artistry associated with the newest home-grown developments.

Cries And Smiles is easily the best, most accomplished soul album you will hear in 2010.

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