Thanks to an undeniable soul croon, halfway between Horace Andy and John Legend, the Zimbabwe-born singer known as Rationale has been courting no end of ‘One to Watch’ lists this year. While this year’s ‘Vessels’ EP was a production-heavy R&B effort, recent single ‘Loving Life’ is a whole new angle again: tasteful 80s revisionism crossed with the deep house danceability of South Africa’s gqom movement. Rationale’s brass synths, chorus-line melodies and earnest delivery is the total package, a remarkably self-assured sound that suggests a confident talent going from strength to strength. Come and catch an international R&B star on the rise.
Tue 24 Oct at Hare & Hounds, 106 High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14 7JZ, 7.30pm £12 seetickets.com
Words: Chris Donald - Gigs Editor
Published on: Sun 8 Oct 2017