A Hill of Feathers

From the singer that Sharon Jones says is "blessed," Hannah Williams AKA Deep soul's funkiest new diva and The Tastemakers release their first full length LP release their first full length LP with the artistic supervision of golden boy DIESLER (Thru Thoughts | Freestyle..) responsible for mixing the album. The youngest Record Kicks signing have been winning over British audiences with upbeat brag songs like "Don't Tell Me" and "The Kitchen Strut," both revamped for this major release after first featuring on a sold-out Mondegreen Records 45 in 2010. The sexual empowerment delivered in these uptempo tracks is easy to get behind; Hannah shouts "do whatever makes you feel hot / 'Cause sex is all we've got" in the chorus of "Whatever" and "I'm not scared about your ex / still, it's best down on the low - you know me and her are friends" in "Get It". But the front is kept honest by the crushing fragility on others like the heartfelt single "Work It Out" and album masterpieces "Washed Up" & "Tell Me Something." Hannah's stunning vocal performances on these tracks elevate her to the level of London's greats, Adele & Amy Winehouse. The disciplined band, led by Hillman Mondegreen, fall in hard with her as she goes deep into her soul, recorded live with the vocals to capture the true emotion and augmented by epic strings, backing singers and the Tastemaker horn section. The drums, provided by the jetsetting DJ Jimi Needles stay locked throughout and add a heavy funky-drummer style backbeat to live favourites like "Get It" and their dynamic cover of Barbara Lynn's "Good Woman," which exhibit the band's refined exuberance, never straying into the outdated speed-funk domain. The album fittingly closes with the uplifting instrumental "Things To Come." With its distinctive major key and charming trumpet solo, it's been the band's encore song since it was written.