Picking one genre and sticking to it increasingly feels old-hat in pop music. With this debut, velvet-voiced singer-songwriter Kwabs joins the likes of Georgia and Lianne La Havas in the ranks of young Brits who don’t conform to making albums containing 12 stylistically uniform songs. He stretches his malleable baritone over music so variable that it has picked up comparisons to James Blake, Seal and – perhaps as a result of the three years he spent in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra – Ella Fitzgerald. He also deftly pulls from new jack swing on Make You Mine, before sliding into synth-laden R&B and soul elsewhere. Kwabs’ powerful voice breathes warmth into songs that focus on overcoming emotional pain, handling the sharp edges of relationships and unapologetically believing in yourself, as on the rousing anthem Forgiven. Aside from a few boyband-like melodic lulls, Love + War is a fine showcase for Kwabs’ breathtaking technical skill and emotive heft.
