Posted on 6 July 2020 6 July 2020Group: Album of the day

Izo Fitzroy – How The Mighty Fall | Album of the day 6th of July 2020

Izo Fitzroy returns following her superb 2017 offering ‘Skyline’ with an even better album in the form of ‘How The Mighty Fall’. Izo’s background in gospel gives her incredible voice a strength that, when met with the blues, takes it to another plane. The emotive, defiant ‘I Ain’t Here For Your Pleasure’ is a gritty blues number that sets the tone for this brilliant album that is both confessional and a declaration of intent. The musicianship is totally on point here and the breadth of styles works incredibly well to give the set a self-contained cohesion. ‘Red Line’ is a pacier, funky number with the lyrics carrying that gutsy message of empowerment, the bouncy disco-boogie of ‘I Want Magic’ has a euphoric tone while the swaggering ‘Blind Faith’ again rides on a soft boogie groove while carrying an emotive tale. The stunning, stripped back ballad ‘Give Me A Moment’ finds Izo’s voice reaching new heights on a tune that reminds of the kind of tempo and feel of Gregory Porter at his barest. ‘Slim Picking’ is a brilliantly lush slab of irresistible boogie driven along with bubbling percussion and a rubbery base that sounds straight out of a Chic classic, the jaunty funker ‘Wolves In Disguise’ and the uplifting, gospel vibe of ‘Purify’ show more sides to this triumph of an album. The stunning southern soul of ‘Liftin’ Me’ finds Izo accompanied by a choir backing that really does lift the whole thing to a new level, while she closes out this faultless set with the brilliantly atmospheric beat ballad ‘When The Wires Are Down’. Strong contender for best album of 2020. Don’t overlook this!