Blog: Direct Current

Young Chicago singer/songwriter Daphne Willis brings a nimble soulfulness and lithe, laid-back vibe to her rhythmic Jack Johnson-styled jam pop debut What To Say , hitting February 9 via Vanguard. Fronting a well-oiled band that clearly knows its way around a tight, jazzy/reggae-tinged beat, the 22-year-old Willis keeps her approach fresh and brisk with a smokey vocal style that is all perceptive sass and tumbling, tongue-twisted verbal wit. With an unpretentious attitude, Willis and band deliver sharply etched, emotional and lyrical portraits that go down even easier when tacked on to a loose and limber instrumental backing. [...]