Sometimes, you just want music to make you smile. You want it to be happy, uplifting and positive. There’s a place for the earnest, the morose and the angry but there are times when you just needs a healthy snack. On days such as these, when it’s damp and drizzling outside, I often get my fix from Soul music.

Londoner, Alexia Coley, has just released her debut record, Keep The Faith, on Jalapeño Records. I’ve not heard it from start to finish but there’s an album sampler on Soundcloud that gives a pretty good indication of where this is rooted. Here is a woman with a special voice backed with a stack of sax and a ton of tune. At times tender, sweet and sultry and at times bursting with a big band raw gospel power, Alexia sings lines that manage to sound both familiar and fresh within the same sentence. As her marketing says, this is “a modern twist on classic soul”.

The video for Drive Me Wild, one of the lead singles from the album, doesn’t need to employ gimmicks or effects to make it work. There’s a simple, smiley joy at play here. Only the most hardened heart will fail to go ‘Awww’ as this draws to its concluding moments.

See if it gives you that kick…

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