9) Ebony Alleyne: In Love With A Stranger (2002)


Ebony Alleyne is a 21st Century  British singer/songwriter  but both her sound and the problems surrounding her sole album release harked back to American soul artists of the late 60’s/early 70’s. She was signed to Sony at the age of 19 and put together in 2002 a stunning album with track after track that showcased her expressive, smoky  voice, strong melodies and full string and horn backing, with the overall effect having hints of  Dionne Warwick , Swingout Sister and Sade amongst others  but remaining its own sound. Some tunes, like Walk Away and Never Look Back, were self-penned but also included was a cover of the Barbara Lewis classic, Hello Stranger. For me, the standout track was In Love With A Stranger,  with a killer intro and a lighter, floating sound that reminded me at times of Corinne Bailey Rae.


It was one of those albums that could have been huge, reviving the ‘old school’ soul of the 60’s and 70’s at a time when few other contemporaries were doing so. However, problems at Sony meant the whole project was shelved and  it was only released on the smaller Expansion label five years later, to little commercial success and with Ebony Alleyne  having moved on and taken a law degree.  The music industry’s loss was law’s gain – and there cant be many people who wrote both a soul classic or two  and edited Emden’s Construction Law.


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