When TV personality Noel Edmonds used to appear on TV advertising the then new town of Milton Keynes, little did he realise two things. One, that it was to become famous for concrete cows and two, a fine soul singer would emerge by the name of Nicky Prince! Having received plaudits from her appearances with the mighty Courtney Pine, Jonas, David Mensah and the delightful Vivienne McKone, this lovely Lady steps forward into the spotlight and does her own thing with this 5 track EP. Coming from East Anglia this Lady joins Teisha Marie, Benjamin Britten and Peter Fenn as local heroes. Well, perhaps Peter is stretching the point but what I do want is to make clear is that Nicky is no lightweight fly-by-night and should be taken seriously as this Lady sure has talent and a hell of a lot of Soul! With what can be described as a rich and distinct voice, Nicky cites India.Arie, Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, The Isley Brothers, Gladys Knight and Omar as inspirations. This is healthy and I think you will agree. The acoustic number "Balancing Scales" will appeal to fans of India.Arie or Jill Scott. Strong vocals and a summery vibe are always winners in my book and I think this Lady deserves to reach the heights of Corrine Bailey-Rae if there's any justice. The melody on this is excellent and I can see why she appeared with Vivienne McKone. Quite a natural pairing actually. The gritty and soulful "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" will appeal to fans of late 60s soul; no-nonsense stuff this. Brassy, soulful and gripping. A hint of blues and organ works well and sets her apart from the manufactured wanna-be's who purport to be soul artists here in the UK today. Again in a 60s vein comes "I'm Hearing You", almost Acid Jazz in composition one can imagine Booker T sat there on organ and the MGs on horns. The scratchy and funky "Move On" takes us into a funkier, meatier and more strutting territory. I think this is particularly strong and with the live musicians - as it is throughout this whole EP - I think a live show of this material would be simply knockout! Our fifth and final cut is the title track - again, India.Arie, Jill Scott and Alicia Keys fans should lap this up. Nicky has moved on a long way from her days on the UK garage scene, Top Of The Pops and Imaani in the Eurovision song contest. I hope that this Lady's career is going to take off. She deserves it!
Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe
The Vibe Scribe
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