Here at SoulBounce, we’ve been noticing a lot of quality soul music coming our way from Australia and New Zealand. From Sam Sparro to Electric Empire to The Liberators and Electric Wire Hustle, there has to be something funky brewing in the waters over there to create such a bumper crop of down-under talent. Now we add to our ever-growing list of Kiwi and Aussie soul with Australian singer-songwriter Shameem. Her three-song EP, Universe for Afternoon Tea, showed a lot of her promise with jazz inflected R&B songs like “Undertones” and “I Look Up.” The jazz influences and her smooth, clear voice have made the Perth-native a favorite guest singer for many of Australia’s jazz clubs, but her heart truly lies in the world of soul music. She has used her influences to her advantage though, merging them with her love of ’90s R&B grooves to create something truly special, and it shows on her self-titled debut album. Tracks like “Boy,” an easy, laid-back jazzy groove of a love song, and the moody “Sleeper on the Night Train” showcase Shameem’s marriage of jazz and soul to great effect. Shameem’s debut will be released to the masses on November 19th. If you’re lucky enough to be a music-lover in Asia and Australia, Shameem plans to follow up her album’s release with tours on both continents (and maybe she can bring her talents stateside as well). As a consolation for the rest of us, we can listen to “Boy” and “Sleeper on the Night Train” below and hop after the bounce to see video of Shameem and her band recording the album (which features her track “Back to the Ground”).

(See article online here)