Sampha’s always been about the voice. Diehard fans may have been following the 27-year-old producer and musician’s work since his 2010 Sundanza EP, but most listeners will know him more for the husky vocals slathered like a soothing paste on to other people’s singles. Whether adding depth to Jessie Ware’s 2013 single Valentine, landing the emotive suckerpunch on Drake co-write Too Much or lending longtime collaborator SBTRKT’s clubland tracks their hooks, Sampha’s distinctive vocal texture has become a brand of its own.
In between songs tonight, that voice is initially polite. After kicking off with forthcoming debut album opener Plastic 100°C, he thanks the crowd for being here and gives a quick shout out to friends and family – really, he sounds more like a respectful birthday party host than headliner of a sold-out show on home turf. But once he and his band launch into their thumping, electrofunk rendition of Under, you remember just why he’s earned enough of a reputation to pack out a venue before he’s even released a solo album. He has a beautiful knack for combining what was originally seen as a “nu-soul” sensibility with deeply personal lyrical themes that cut right into the wobbly core of our vulnerabilities.
The show undulates in energy, pulsing while he belts out Blood on Me, then pulling back to vocals-and-keys simplicity on Can’t Get Close and crowd-pleaser Too Much. And whenever the band sound momentarily shaky, Sampha whips out the trick that keeps it all together: that trembling, creaking, howling voice.
