photo by Jonathan Willoughby
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Phoenix is a 23-year old songwriter and singer from Watford, who is making some wonderfully soulful & emotive pop music, as evidenced in her debut 5-track EP, Out of the Ashes. With unique vocals that have been compared to Amy Winehouse, and personal lyrics, she seems destined for a much wider audience.
I first saw her live a few years ago, when she had accomplices on acoustic guitar and percussion, and the strength of her compositions and vocals were always impressive. She has now put a full band together, as seen from left to right above, with Alex Joiner (keys), Oscar Blanchard-O’Neill (bass & cousin), Phoenix O’Neill (vocals), Jack Bazzani (drums), & Nathan McDonough (guitar), and together they’ve started to turn the studio tracks into a strong live performance.
The EP itself was recorded and mixed in France and the U.S. with the help of James Sanger (Keane, Dido, Brian Eno) and Paul Kilmister (Lemmy Jr), and was released at the end of April. All five songs take you on both an emotive and danceable journey, with my highlights being the infectious I Need You and Alien, and it ends on a stunning high with the more mellow I Feel It. Definitely one to watch…
