I was initially drew to VV Brown following on from her eye-catching and boundlessly energetic performance on coveted music show, Later with Jools Holland, way back in September of last year. With her 50s rockabilly-come-80s Grace Jones stylee, that amazing flat top fringe, and of course her swinging indie-pop to boot, VV Brown has since colourfully catapulted into the musical limelight.
Growing up amongst the records of Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzergald, VV, real name Vanessa Brown, declined places from the likes of Oxford and King’s College London University in order to pursue her own musical passions. She purchased a guitar from a charity shop, removed all it’s strings but one and alas, her dream was born. With it’s catchy doo-wop hooks, ‘Crying Blood’, VV’s debut single, proved to be her big breakthrough hit. Since then, Brown has gone from strength to strength – most recently returning after her performance at Glastonbury Festival this weekend.
‘Shark in the Water’, VV’s upcoming single, is solid musical proof of this stylish lady’s ability to produce genuinely well-crafted songs. Starting off with kooky “Ooh ooh oohs” echoing the girl groups of the 60s, powerful Winehouse-esque vocals proceed to kick in as Brown sings “Sometimes I get my head in a divvy, feeling so lost, ticking you off.”. Then, in kicks the full-blown, emotionally epic chorus. “Baby, there’s a shark in the water!”, VV passionately sings to the backing of tippity tap percussion and retro brass. Basically – this soulful ballad has Radio 1 playlist stamped all over it.
Liking the sound of it? Well, why not watch the video to ‘Shark in the Water’, below
Pre-order a digital download of the single, which is released on Monday (July 6th), for just 50p over at 7Digital
VV Brown’s debut album, Travelling Like the Light, meanwhile, is set to be just released a few weeks later on July 20th. Pre-order the record now over at Amazon.co.uk for just £6.98
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