DAPHNE WILLIS

What to Say

2010-01-17

Chicago-based Daphne Wells has a soulful, bouncy narrative style of delivering a tune that has some pegging her as a female Jack Johnson. I pick up some Laura Love vibes in the music; there's careful attention to the instruments providing a percussive backbeat to the song-stories she is telling. The set starts off with a roar on "Everybody Else," settles into the solid folk-rocker "Bluff" and then she's off to the races. In addition to these openers, I particularly liked "Swirl" and "Yellow Dress" for their spot-on match of lyric and music. Not a clinker in the bunch, a fresh new talent with spunk and style. F-Soul 01/10 Michael J.

Quick Links:

• Vanguard page for Daphne
• Daphne's Myspace page