It feels like we have been waiting ages for Samm Henshaw’s debut album Untidy Soul to drop and the 26-year-old from South-East London did not disappoint. Samm burst onto the scene in 2015 with The Sound Experiment EP making an impact from the first chord he graced us with. 

Powerful skits, interludes, poetry, declarations and big band moments are just a taster of what to expect throughout this project. The album is made up of 16 tracks blending Jazz, Soul and Gospel, as well as old school Hip-Hop, creating a delicate intimacy that’s rarely shown by black male artists in this modern age.

We really see Henshaw grow into himself as an artist and as a person. The project is conceptual, personal and freeing, one of the stand out songs being It Won’t Change ft Maverick Sabre.

Speaking about the album, the singer said:

Henshaw takes us through a journey emphasising the idea that it is about the process rather than the end result, doing this with utter transparency and displaying his talent. Untidy Soul feels like a skilled crafting of Henshaw figuring out his life and whether it’s to do with love, his career or striking the balance for self-care.

In addition to the stand alone single, Still Broke ft Keyon Harrold, inspired by Childish Gambino’s Atlanta, the music videos reflect a TV-style series with Samm’s satirical sense of humour at the core as we get to know the character of Sonny, played by Samm. 

One of the singles released last year from the album, Thoughts and Prayers was originally released on Colors and in the lead up to the release this month Samm showcased album cuts at The Roots festive picnic, appeared on The Late Show with James Cordon and released a remix of the clever Chicken Wings featuring Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins. Take Time ft Tobe Nwigwe was also BBC Radio 1’s chilliest record of the day by Sian Eleri

The Untidy Soul tour includes shows at Gorilla in Manchester, O2 Shepard’s Bush Empire London and O2 Institute2 Birmingham.