An amalgamation of music genres by musicians isn‰’t all that uncommon these days. You even have new genres arising from time to time (PBR&B, Chillwave, Slowcore) to add to the confusion when trying to place a finger on someone‰’s brand of music.

Thankfully, no such “trailblazing‰” genre has been attributed to British singer-songwriter Jamie Woon. From the man himself, he describes his music as “R&B‰” and “groove-based vocal-led music.‰” Jamie inadvertently made a name for himself after ending up in fourth place in BBC‰’s Sound of 2011 poll. During my time as a retail assistant at a music store, Jamie‰’s album caught my eye with the abstract art-esque cover, and I was hooked on it for a few weeks.

Mirrorwriting is haunting, but in a positive way. Jamie‰’s swooning vocals do nothing sets the mood for a relaxed ambience, with beats that accompany his dynamic range and diverse styles, whether groovin‰’ it in “Lady Luck‰Û, or injecting a soulful touch in “Shoulda‰Û, the album does not disappoint. There are shades of Jamie Lidell, The xx, and a little of DJ Shadow for me. The album begins with “Lady Luck,‰” an energetic starter before mellowing down in the middle to the likes of “Spirits,‰” and ends perfectly with an acoustic track “Waterfront.‰Û

‰Û¬Jamie Woon ‰ÛÒ Lady Luck

The one and only album released by Jamie thus far, Mirrorwriting is criminally underrated. Fans of R&B and soul will find this a worthy addition to their music docket. My choice tracks for this record are “Street,‰” “Shoulda,‰” “Spirits,‰” and “Gravity.‰Û