Emma-Jean Thackray is a musician originally from Yorkshire, but now based in London. She first made a splash in 2016, when she dropped the EP WALRUS. In 2020, she teased us with an EP and a single, but now she’s finally ready to release her debut full-length album, Yellow.

When Thackray dropped her 2018 project, Ley Lines, she said that she considered Madlib’s Yesterday’s New Quintet as a major influence, meaning that she tried to think of playing each instrument on her album as being a different persona, to get that full ensemble type of feel to come through. Listening to Yellow, you could easily imagine a studio session where countless musicians are coming and going, hopping on different tracks to give them this full sonic vision. Instead, we have one brilliant woman who is crafting an album that has its roots in the soul-jazz fusion era of the ‘70s, but ventures into different avenues from funk to electronic and hip hop to neo-soul. Over the course of the album, I keep hearing different influences that range from Roy Ayers to Kaidi Tatham to Roberta Flack to The Meters to Madlib, just to touch on a few, all while sounding very modern and present at the same time. Thackray is wearing her influences on her sleeve, but then she’s finding this extra bit of spice and mixing things up and making it all hers. She sings sparingly throughout, but when she does, her soulful vocals add a punch at just the right time to hammer home some main ideas. Mostly, though, this is an album that will take you on a musical journey through soul and jazz, and it’s best to just buckle up and enjoy the ride that Thackray is taking you on.

Yellow is a huge step forward for Emma-Jean Thackray. It demonstrates some great musicianship, but more than that, it showcases her abilities as a composer and producer, putting together an album that brings in all of these great soulful and funky influences alongside a touch of the avantgarde. It’s accessible and fun to listen to, and you’ll find a new level on which to enjoy it each time through.