Discography Artist: Hil St. Soul

December 18, 2008
Posted by Musicman
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Hilary Mwelwa moved from Lusaka, Zambia, to England when she was five years old -- just in time for kindergarten. She studied biochemistry at the University of London, but a strong love for music pushed her to leave school and follow her heart. An a cappella demo of Stevie Wonder/Clarence Paul/Morris Broadnax's "Until You Come Back to Me," cut in 1995, started everything for the enthusiastic singer; she loved the song so much she waxed two versions for her debut CD, jointly written and produced with Victor Redwood Sawyerr (aka VRS, a founding member of Blak Twang), the other half of Hil St. Soul.

A singer of many styles, Mwelwa is comfortable performing classic soul, smooth jazz, uptempo funk, and gospel. Her versatility earned her the honor of Best Newcomer by the U.K.'s Blues & Soul magazine. She has performed at festivals in Holland, Norway, and England, sharing stages with urban kings and queens such as D'Angelo, Kelis, Macy Gray, and Angie Stone, to name a few. An accomplished and prolific songwriter, Incognito, Maysa Leak, and others have used her material. Her style doesn't lack drama, but she's more subtle than demonstrative. Not as reclining as Sade, and not as overwhelming as Mica Paris, she's found a comfortable niche that appeases classic soul fanatics canvassing for fresh R&B/pop janissaries without disenfranchising hip-hop lovers. She issued four albums: Soul Organic (1999), Copasetik & Cool (2003), Soulidified (2006), and Black Rose (2008). © Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide

Hil St. Soul - Soul Organic (1999)

The disc took Europe by storm and crossed the Atlantic on the strength of a smooth cover of Franklin's "Until You Come Back to Me. Soul Organic wound up being named to a number of critics' top ten lists for the year and catapulted Hil St. Soul to the category of young acts to watch. It showed an artist with an engaging voice and developing songwriting skills, clearly immersed in the NeoSoul movement but also with a fine sense of the groove of classic soul and even smooth jazz. The Hil St Soul sound crosses the street-core/mainstream divide without creative compromise. The 13 tracks on the album cover a range of black music flavours from nu classic soul to hip-hop, gospel to Latin, up-tempo funk to jazzy. "And we chose the 'organic' title to convey that it's natural back-to-basics music with virtually no samples," says Hilary. In addition to 12 original compositions, a cover of the Stevie Wonder/Aretha Franklin Sixties classic UNTIL YOU COME BACK TO ME is included. In 2001 it became the most played Vocal track of the year at US Smooth Jazz radio stations, and has led to her releasing two further solo albums in the US.
© Chris Rizik, Soultracks

Hil St. Soul - Copasetik and Cool (2003)

The British feel of this outfit is perfectly illustrated in the lyrics and song titles: "All that (and a bag o' chips)" is a sentiment that could only originate within UK shores. The musical highlights are many including a brilliantly executed cover version of The Isleys' "For the Love of You" which manages to sweep along without making the listener hark back to the original, and that's a rare feat. Melodically, the track "Pieces" is the highpoint of the album, an instantly catchy track with touching lyrics that seem borne of real experience rather than the usual well-worn love song clichés. On the strength of this collection, Hil St. Soul deserve to move on to greater commercial success and credibility. It's rare in the soul arena for UK based acts to genuinely give the Americans a run for their money, but Hil St Soul seem on track to do just that. © Greg Boraman, BBC

Hil St. Soul - SOULidified (2006)

The time may now be right for Hil St. Soul. While the duo has been a critical darling for the past few years, that acclaim has only resulted in moderate sales success, particularly in the US. SOULidified could be the album that formally introduces Hil St. Soul to the growing adult soul audience. Hilary Mwelwa's voice is as engaging as ever on the disc, and comparisons to India.Arie are tough to avoid, especially on cuts like the acoustic soul "It's OK" and the nice mid-tempo "Can We Spend Some Time." Mwelwa doesn't match Arie's talent as a lyricist, but musically shows her strength on the excellent opening cut "Sweet On You," the ballad "Goodbye" and "One of A Kind." One gets the feeling that if Mwelwa keeps plugging away with attractive, accessible music, her audience will continue to grow. In that regard, SOULidified -- while not a groundbreaking disc - is a solid vehicle to further the ascent of Hil St. Soul, and should continue the lengthy coming out of the group as a talented young act worth hearing.
© Chris Rizik, Soultracks

Hil St. Soul - Black Rose (2008)

The beauty of Hil St. Soul is in the execution. Black Rose is a very modern soul affair that combines neo-soul with hip-hop and jazz yet it manages to sound fresh and exciting. The production is so crisp and perfect and the lyrics so well written that the album will immediately draw you in. A variety of topics ranging from domestic abuse (“If I Was You”) to reminiscing about childhood (“Sweetest Days”) are spread throughout the album yet the overall theme remains personal growth and empowerment. Standout cuts like “Don’t Forget The Ghetto” remind listeners to remember where they come from; while the anthemic title track preaches “don’t you worry keep on blooming” and “rise above adversity.” But Hilary isn’t above crafting sexy songs about love and loss. She is “pulled in by the weight of your gravity” on the exquisite “Gravity” and on the ultra-sleek, bass heavy “Broken Again” Hilary rides the kind of slinky beat that would make Ciara jealous. The beats are a perfect blend of classic neo-soul with just a touch of progressive edge to keep things sounding new. A mid-tempo groove persists throughout much of the album, allowing for a seamless listen that will keep your head nodding from beginning to end. © Norman Mayers, Nu-Soul Magazine

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Discography Artist: Hil St. Soul

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