Moments of Truth

Laura Izibor, a 21-year-old Dubliner, is here to change the musical landscape of Irish soul for good.

Brought up in a working-class home with a love of Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack and Marvin Gaye, Izibor worked on her debut for four years. Let the Truth Be Told finally arrives honed to a warm shimmer. Opener “Shine” adds the grit of Macy Gray to a playful empowerment ditty. “What Would You Do?” is a mid-tempo anthem that would send Alicia Keys into an envious rage. And the pristine ballad “If Tonight Is My Last” — well — that’s the money shot: an undying declaration of true love that plays as the leads reunite in the rom-com of your mind.

We love our Irish clichés — the Celtic mysticism, the drunken camaraderie, even the recent-vintage spiritual struggle when we still haven’t found what we’re looking for. But we love it even more with a hot shot of rhythm and blues, a steady hip-hop backbeat and nary a bagpipe or pennywhistle to be heard.


Let the Truth Be Told is available today from Atlantic Records.