Silky, sultry, scintillating, sanguine, sincere, and special, it’s remarkable that Vancouver-born, LA-based soulstress, Phé doesn’t prefer a name staring with S. The young songwriter and vocalist progressed from a position of relatively nowhere at the onset of 2018 to dropping a debut EP that rivals the work of most established R&B artists. And at a time when R&B and neo-soul in particular are making leaps and bounds both musically and popularly, that’s saying a lot. 

 

But the praise is deserved. Her debut, Crisis comes in at a quick 21-minutes, but seamlessly puts on display her range as a vocalist and a writer. Weaving between golden era R&B reminiscent emotion (Home, Crisis) to smoother, more modernist and UK-adjacent neo-soul anthems (Incredible, About Us), Phé has no problem exploring her sound. 

 

And that’s exactly what we like to see from a young creative yet to establish a deep fan base or a preferred stylistic take. All that being said, it should be noted that the project feels anything but random. Tethered akin first and foremost by an explosive vocal approach, and secondly, thirdly in no particular order by well-thought-out production and emotionally-evoking writing, Crisis as a project as cohesive, clean, and courageous.

 

Can’t wait to hear what’s to come from the young Phé and what alliterating descriptions it’s bound to evoke.