Since Jessy Lanza released her debut Pull My Hair Back in September of 2013, the electro-R&B landscape has become significantly more crowded. Her debut effort with Junior Boys' Jeremy Greenspan was a well-produced, confident effort that nonetheless was at times a bit too restrained, if only because Lanza's vocal power was otherwise so apparent in the few instances in which it was allowed to shine through. Those hints seemed to suggest there would be more of her in future efforts.
On Lanza’s new EP, You Never Show Your Love, on UK-based label Hyperdub, you can hear those same glimmers of promise. Lanza’s voice on the EP’s title track is light and smooth, floating over the languid beat in a way that almost brings to mind a sunnier Sade. The EP was produced by Teklife’s DJ Spinn and Taso, and the beats are pure footwork. While the title track is more of a slow jam, the beat slowly orbiting Lanza’s vocal, the rework, featuring founding Teklife member DJ Rashad’s beats used posthumously, is up-tempo and glitchy, contrasting with Lanza’s floating vocal to great effect. This chameleon-like quality is one of Lanza’s signatures—her vocals are versatile, and tend to melt into a mix rather than overpowering it. This is a commendable skill, especially in a house singer, but there are many moments when you wish the music would be more about her, and less about the beat.
While the EP is atmospheric, it does nothing to separate Lanza from the scene that has grown up around her. Her vocals skew more purely house than FKA twigs or Banks, but she lacks their same showmanship or melodrama, and it's difficult to imagine the niche she would fill. You Never Show Your Love is a small sampling of the Canadian vocalist's work, however, and her choice in producers speaks volumes to her curatorial vision. If That Voice were to assume a place in the forefront of the engaging, boundary-pushing beats she picks for herself, she could sound larger than life.
