Promise to Keep / Change of Heart 7"

This 7-inch pulls two tracks straight off Ella Thompson's album Triumph and Sadness, put out through the UK label Mr Bongo. The Melbourne singer works in classic sweet soul, pointing to Renee Geyer, Nina Simone, Curtis Mayfield, and Patti Smith as her reference points, and she's got fellow Melbourne players Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo in the room, scene regulars with their own retro-soul and funk records. It's a tight way into a singer writing real soul songs without leaning on nostalgia to carry them.