Katy B | ||
| Allmusic Biography : The versatile London, England-based Katy B (aka Baby Katy, Baby Katie), a dance-oriented electronic pop artist inspired by the likes of Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, and Gwen Stefani, earned notice with "Tell Me," a 2006 single produced by DJ NG. A series of other features followed, including lead turns on Jelly Jams "I Try," Geeneus "Good Life" (a cover of the late-80s Inner City house classic), and the Count & Sindens "Hold Me." All of those tracks preceded the release of her first proper solo single. "Katy on a Mission," produced by Benga, was issued on Rinse in 2010. The album On a Mission was released the following April, with each song co-written by Katy B and an array of collaborators, including Geeneus (on seven of 12 tracks), Magnetic Man, Zinc, and Benga. The set debuted at number two on the U.K. album chart. Nominated for the 2011 Mercury Prize, it was issued that September in the U.S. After she toured Europe in support of her debut, Katy teamed up with Mark Ronson in 2012 for the track "Anywhere in the World," which appeared on a Coca-Cola Olympic sponsorship commercial. Katy then reconvened with Geeneus and connected with the likes of Jacques Greene, Sampha, Joker, and George FitzGerald. Little Red, her second album, brought more of a pop edge to Katys dubstep-influenced sound. Preceded by the singles "5 AM" and "Crying for No Reason," it was released in February 2014 and topped the U.K. chart. The following year, she appeared on KDAs "Turn the Music Louder (Rumble)," a number one U.K. pop hit. After a switch of labels -- from Columbia to Virgin EMI -- she released Honey in 2016. It featured an impressive variety of producers and guest artists, including Kaytranada (on the title track), Major Lazer and Craig David, Floating Points and Four Tet, D Double E, and Novelist. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 5 Title: On a Mission Released: 2011-04-01 Tracks: 12 Duration: 55:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Power on Me (04:20) 2 Katy on a Mission (03:39) 3 Why You Always Here (05:32) 4 Witches’ Brew (03:19) 5 Movement (02:40) 6 Go Away (03:35) 7 Disappear (03:30) 8 Broken Record (03:19) 9 Lights On (single mix) (03:25) 10 Easy Please Me (03:55) 11 Perfect Stranger (03:13) 12 Hard to Get / [silence] / Water (15:17) |
| On a Mission : Allmusic album Review : The increasingly ubiquitous dubstep sound may have originated from as far back as the late 90s, but its taken over a decade to produce its first genuine pop star capable of competing in the charts with the likes of Rihanna, Britney Spears, and Kesha, all of whom have incorporated its wobbling basslines and sparse, syncopated rhythms into their recent material. South Londoner Katy B, a by-product of the Brits School which spawned Adele, Leona Lewis, and Kate Nash, is just that artist. Bursting onto the scene in mid-2010 with her Benga-produced debut Top Five single "Katy on a Mission," a hypnotic blend of buzzing synths, chunky beats, and soulful, cooing hooks, the Goldsmiths College graduate could have joined the plethora of one-hit wonders the dance scene produces every year. But instead, shes created an album which could do for dubstep what Craig David did for garage, Dizzee Rascal did for grime, and what Ms. Dynamite did for British hip-hop. Incidentally, the latter turns up on the club banger "Lights On," a sassy synth-led dub-pop ode to the joys of dancing as the night ends, in an affectionate nod to her musical heritage. But even though there are echoes of trip-hop ("Go Away"), jungle ("Disappear"), and even acid-jazz ("Hard to Get"), On a Missions 12 tracks, largely produced by Rinse FM boss Geeneus, are firmly focused on the here and now rather than the club sounds of yesteryear. "Witches Brew" is an intoxicating fusion of kaleidoscopic synths, blistering breakbeats and Katys neo-soulful tones, which seductively purr lyrics like "Ill open this book and blow the dust/off these pages of desire and lust," detailing how she will cast a spell to get her man; "Perfect Stranger" is a gorgeous collaboration with Magnetic Man which combines the supergroups spacious skittering production with a vulnerable vocal rarely showcased among her club-friendly peers; while best of all is "Broken Record," which kicks off with some pounding techno riffs before merging into a heart-rending slice of drumnbass balladry where Katy sounds uncannily like original Sugababe Siobhan Donaghy. Indeed, much of On a Mission recalls the sassy, streetwise, urban dance-pop of Sugababes effortlessly cool debut One Touch, and you get the feeling that if theyd stuck with the same lineup instead of imploding every couple of years, this would be the kind of record they would now be making. Free from the retro samples that dominate most recent club anthems, and the filler which pervades most commercial dance albums, On a Mission is a strikingly self-assured and original affair which not only convincingly captures the sound of contemporary London nightlife, but also reflects the voices of much of her late-teens/early-twenties generation. If she can avoid the "trying to sound American" and "over-bearing lyrical preaching" mistakes of her pioneering U.K. urban predecessors, theres no reason why On a Mission cant be the start of a fruitful and glittering career. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 5 Title: Broken Record (Remixes) Released: 2011-04-12 Tracks: 5 Duration: 24:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Broken Record (Jacques Greene remix) (05:04) 2 Broken Record (Zinc remix) (05:47) 3 Broken Record (Todd Edwards Angel Voice remix) (05:15) 4 Broken Record (Geeneus Funky mix) (05:33) 5 Broken Record (DJ Fresh Future Jungle mix) (02:58) |
 | Album: 3 of 5 Title: Danger EP Released: 2012-12-07 Tracks: 4 Duration: 17:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Aaliyah (05:45) 2 Got Paid (04:06) 3 Light as a Feather (04:07) 4 Danger (03:20) |
 | Album: 4 of 5 Title: Little Red Released: 2014-02-10 Tracks: 12 Duration: 51:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Crying for No Reason (04:02) 2 I Like You (04:03) 3 All My Lovin’ (04:41) 4 Aaliyah (04:38) 5 5 AM (Route 94 remix) (05:13) 6 Next Thing (03:03) 7 Tumbling Down (04:43) 8 Sapphire Blue (04:27) 9 Play (03:23) 10 Blue Eyes (05:17) 11 Emotions (04:35) 12 Sky’s the Limit (03:49) |
| Little Red : Allmusic album Review : On a Mission was eagerly anticipated and didnt disappoint. A creative synthesis of underground club sounds and pop, fronted by a seriously skilled and charismatic singer and songwriter who detailed scenes relatable to her generation, it was glowingly reviewed and almost topped the U.K. chart. Almost three years later, Katy B follows it with another intense set that features another round of collaborations with producer Geeneus. Though the supple midtempo gem "Tumbling Down" and gracefully walloping Joker co-production "All My Lovin" are definite highlights, the album is greatly enhanced by the one-off pairings, including the rigid house track "I Like You" (George FitzGerald), the fluttering charmer "Play" (Sampha), and the swooning "Sapphire Blue" (Jacques Greene), where Katy delivers fairly standard lines about being swept away but makes them sound novel with an entrancing level of passion. The album is oddly sequenced, opening with a pair of cuts that are merely adequate, no match for the debuts one-two jolt. Those are followed by an inferior and drastically shortened mix of "Aaliyah," a midtempo duet with Jessie Ware -- regarding the envy of a woman who just happens to have the same name as the late R&B star -- originally released on a 2012 EP. Part elegantly drifting ballad, part breathless drumnbass track "Emotions" would have made for an excellent finale, yet its trailed by "Still," a fine but relatively weak way to end the album. More baffling, most of the deluxe edition bonus tracks dont merely deserve to be on the standard edition -- theyd be highlights. Even with its faults, Little Red has too much going for it to be considered a second-album slump. In the wake of crossover dance acts who scored after the success of On a Mission, Katy B remains in a class of her own. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 5 Title: Honey Released: 2016-04-22 Tracks: 13 Duration: 53:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Honey (04:44) 2 Who Am I (03:24) 3 So Far Away (04:28) 4 Chase Me (03:25) 5 Lose Your Head (03:32) 6 I Wanna Be (05:00) 1 Calm Down (04:04) 2 Heavy (03:56) 3 Turn the Music Louder (Rumble) (03:35) 4 Dark Delirium (04:17) 5 Water Rising (04:29) 6 Dreamers (04:40) 7 Honey (outro) (04:15) |
| Honey : Allmusic album Review : The impending release of Katy Bs third album was announced with an image that displayed the names of all the collaborators. So extensive that it was divided into columns, the listing looked like a poster for an all-day, three-stage dance music festival hosted by the singer and songwriter. Old colleague Geeneus excepted, none of Katy Bs collaborators here is involved with more than one track. The roster of producers and guest artists is deep and eye-popping indeed, a mix of underground progressives and mainstream-level fusionists that includes veteran grime MCs, younger house producers, and upcoming vocalists. Somewhat surprisingly, the album doesnt play out like a bundle of 13 disconnected songs with platinum aspirations. Instead, also unexpectedly, much of it congeals into a mass of skillfully voiced, sturdily constructed material that is ultimately plain. A handful of tracks does stick out. At the top in running order and quality is "Honey," a lustful slow jam produced by Kaytranada that rides a bobbing two-note bassline. Just under it is "Calm Down," scuffed-up, strings-enhanced neo-garridge made with Four Tet and Floating Points, and an uncharacteristically smoothed-out production from Chris Lorenzo. Slotted into the albums latter half is a Tinie Tempah-less version of the breakbeat belter "Turn the Music Louder (Rumble)," the original of which, billed as KDA featuring Katy B, was released six months prior to the album and topped the U.K. pop chart. Katy, whose almost regal quality now seems to be on the brink of being as visible as her everywoman traits, continues to evolve as a writer and vocalist. Honey nonetheless comes across as an attention-grabbing experiment more than it does a third proper full-length. | ||