Signed when she was just 13, Leicester-born singer-songwriter Mahalia Burkmar has had a meandering journey to R&B stardom. Breaking through with 2017’s head-nodding single Sober, she has gone on to develop a distinctive brand of neo-soul blended with defiant lyrics, producing hits such as I Wish I Missed My Ex from her 2019 debut album Love & Compromise, as well as lending her silken vocals to guest verses with rappers Pa Salieu, Stormzy and Ty Dolla $ign. Having won two Mobo awards and been nominated for a Grammy and an Ivor Novello, Mahalia is now well established at 25. Her second album, IRL, is testament to this self-assured status, with its 13 tracks of slick soul.
She kicks off in fighting fashion, singing: “You thought I was finished”, but soon concluding that no one can silence her song, on the yearning Ready. Artfully layered, groove-laden percussion and warm melody produce the infectious syncopated hook of In My Bag, the radio-friendly singalong of Terms and Conditions and the guitar-strumming funk of Lose Lose. Yet starry guest spots let the record down. Cheat, featuring Jojo, opts for a monotonous, nursery-rhyme melody, while Stormzy shakily croons on November, jarring us out of Mahalia’s otherwise gorgeously delicate vocal.
When unaccompanied, it’s clear that her 12 years in the industry have given the singer ample voice and a formidable ear. On IRL, there was little need for big names, since Mahalia is star enough to hold her own.
