Elmiene - Anyway I Can EP (2024) [Hi-Res]

When respected, influential artists such as Stormzy and Sampha tip a newcomer for greatness, it pays to sit up and listen. Elmiene (for those who are unsure, it’s pronounced “el-mean”) first grabbed attention in 2021, with a pitch-perfect interpretation of D’Angelo’s “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” parlaying that first influx of online interest into real-world gains: a major label deal, coveted live spots supporting stars including SZA, and studio sessions alongside writers that have worked with Beyoncé, Busta Rhymes, and Victoria Monét. Anyway I Can, the British soul singer’s third EP, draws from a rich palette of musical influences with live, organic instrumentation lending an old-school timelessness to contemporary R&B melodies.

Elmiene’s voice—an astonishingly versatile instrument—is the showstopping centerpiece of the project; by turns soft and smooth as in album opener “TLC,” dynamic and playful in the outro of “Ode to Win,” rising to an emotionally resonant falsetto on “Crystal Tears.” Gems like “Light Work” showcase an infectious flair for funk that is somewhat underutilized here but when the trade-off is more tracks in the vein of “Anyways,” which builds from mellow minimalism to an evocative crescendo, it’s impossible to feel short-changed.