Karima Francis UK Tour
There are debut singers whose tender years and inexperience clearly inform their early recordings – you can almost hear the tentativeness and reserve in their vocal performances. And then there are those who clear this hurdle in one bound, who hurl themselves over the precipice, who go straight for the blood and guts of a song.
Nobody who has heard Karima Francis, live or on disc, can be in any doubt as to which category the Blackpool-born, Manchester-based musician belongs to. Listening to the 21-year-old grab a melody and lyric by the throat is to experience the sound of a singer whose pent-up expressiveness was hidden away for too long, and is now exploding into glorious colour.
The Limited edition 7″ digital single, 'Chasing The Morning Light', released last year provides a more than tantalising insight into her stunning debut album.
'The Author', Karima's debut album, effortlessly broods and flows – with a passion for melody and heartfelt lyrics. Musically, the songs are deeply personal compositions inspired by a difficult upbringing. Incidentally, it was her mother who encouraged Karima to take up singing.
Her musical journey turned a corner when she blew away Manchester's' In The City' music conference, leaving them all wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
Comparisons to Tracy Chapman and Joan Armatrading are inescapable, but these only offer a superficial sense of where Karima's music lies.
Fully complemented by the stripped down sound of her guitarist, Simon Robbs, Karima showcases her debut album 'The Author' on an intimate tour of the UK, featuring her stunning new single 'Again', out March 9th.
See Karima at one of the following dates:
March
Fri 13th CARDIFF Barfly
Sun 15th NEWCASTLE Cluny
Mon 16th BIRMINGHAM Glee Club Studios
Thu 19th LEEDS Cockpit
Fri 20th BLACKBURN College SU
Sat 21st NEWBURY Nr READING Arlington Arts Centre
Tue 24th EDINBURGH Cabaret Voltaire (full band)
Wed 25th MANCHESTER Deaf Institute (full band)
Thu 26th LONDON Bush Hall (full band)