Bryony Jarman-Pinto is an up-and-coming artist based in London, though she grew up in the Northwestern part of England before studying at the Glasgow School of Arts. It was around this time that she started to work with Werkha and began to take music more seriously. Over the last three years, Jarman-Pinto has been writing and recording, and she now releases her debut album, Cage & Aviary.

One of the first things that hit me in listening to Cage & Aviary is that this doesn’t sound like a debut album. That’s because Jarman-Pinto sounds so self-assured and professional as a vocalist and songwriter. Overall, this is a soul album with heavy doses of jazz and folk, with sophisticated vocal lines and harmonies and thoughtful lyricism. Longtime collaborator Werkha serves as producer on the album, and really helps put in her in a position to feel comfortable and come into her own. Jarman-Pinto doesn’t have a big voice, but she can put some volume behind her words when she needs to, but for the majority of the album she chooses to draw you in to a more intimate discussion through her music. A lot of the melodic elements of the music come from acoustic guitar and electric piano, which serve nicely as complements to Jarman-Pinto’s voice, which is always steering the ship over the course of the album. It should be noted that her tone and control of her voice is incredible, and while it’s not a huge voice, there is plenty of confidence behind it. Nothing ever sounds like a mistake. No, this is a carefully thought out album, with Jarman-Pinto really taking the time to work with Werkha and develop these songs to exactly where they need to be. The songwriting is sophisticated, and each song unfolds in interesting ways that don’t always conform to your basic pop song structure. Most importantly, they allow Jarman-Pinto’s lyrics about finding her identity, navigating the world, and claiming her own space. There is a certain amount of vulnerability to her lyricism that lets you inside her world, but as she makes clear in a song like “All About Life,” she’s not about to let anyone push her around or tell her what she should do with her life.

Not many debut albums sound as self-assured as Cage & Aviary. Bryony Jarman-Pinto took the time to figure out her voice as an artist, and she made sure that this album reflected where she was at this point in her journey. It’s soulful, musical, vulnerable, and confident.