With the UK release of her second album, "Good for the Soul," on July 4, 15-year-old British singer/songwriter Dionne Bromfield has proven that she has what it takes to be the next big international star.
After Bromfield made her world debut singing Alicia Keys's "If I Ain't Got You" with her godmother Amy Winehouse on YouTube, Bromfield was immediately signed to Winehouse's label, Lioness Records. Bromfield maintained and brought back the "Motown sound" Winehouse's premise for the label's foundation and direction.
Bromfield's first album, titled "Introducing Dionne Bromfield," was released in 2009, and included Motown covers such as The Shirelles's "Mama Said" and "Foolish Little Girl," Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and Stevie Wonder's "Until You Come Back to Me."
Bromfield sounded like she was a 13-year-old born in the '50s or '60s on the album, bringing hope to the masses that the Motown sound that UK artists have recently favored.
The anticipation for Bromfield's material grew for those who missed Winehouse's natural soul or craved more music more like that of Adele or Duffy, and Bromfield effortlessly satisfies with her second album "Good for the Soul," which shows Bromfield both maturing her sound and maturing into a woman. Although it is not exactly up to par with the first releases of Winehouse or Adele, "Good for the Soul" is a serious album to consider amongst other releases from the younger artists of our generation.
Bromfield's voice is sassy yet classy, reminding me of Erykah Badu's rich sound mixed with Lauryn Hill's modesty and the attitude and emotion similar to Winehouse's style on her first UK release "Frank" in 2003.
Bromfield's first single from "Good for the Soul," titled "Yeah Right," was released in late February. This song, which featured Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons's 16-year-old son Diggy Simmons, performed respectably on the UK charts. "Yeah Right" is a catchy and contemporary song that sticks to Bromfield's soulful backbone, pairing a common saying of today with a sound influenced by the past.
In "Yeah Right," Bromfield questions all of the possibilities and excuses as to why a relationship could be going wrong. In the first verse, she sings, "Maybe you caught the train just like you said you did / Maybe it broke down but you didn't give up." The song continues, "Maybe you got pinned down by all the weight of gifts / that you were bringing me to show your love." In the chorus, Bromfield sings that she will move on if her lover does not treat her well.
"Yeah Right" represents an anthem for those who have been lied to or manipulated in a relationship, so both younger and older listeners can relate to the subject matter in this song.
Bromfield's second single, titled "Foolin,'" was released in mid-June and placed higher on the UK charts than her previous singles. Anyone could easily think Winehouse was singing if Bromfield's name were not on the track, which makes me wonder if Bromfield will be able to establish herself as a separate artist and differentiate her voice from that of her godmother.
But Bromfield does show her vocal capabilities and individuality on the album's title track "Good for the Soul" as well as in the song "Sweetest Thing," so there is hope that she can distinguish herself within her genre.
She also clearly has what it takes to cross over to the United States audience.
Bromfield's ability to make music that appeals to audiences of many ages despite being only 15 years old makes her an artist to watch over the next few years.
