Review

Kylie Auldist: This Is What Happiness Looks Like (Soul Bank Music)

'Melbourne's High Priestess Of Soul' Kylie Auldist is back and back with a vengeance! Who can forget the 2016 global dance hit "This Girl" by Kungs Vs Cookin' on 3 Burners - the track that not only topped almost every pop chart across the planet, featured in many TV shows, adverts and films and social media memes but also achieved over 1 billion streams!

"This Is What Happiness Looks Like" is the textbook for what makes soul-dance music, well, fun! Demonstrated here with the opener, a thumping two-to-the-floor drum rhythm called "Everythink" with plenty of identifiable hi-hat and basslines, Prince type keys and gawd it's catchy too! A bright and breezy start that morphs into the sparse Jacko like groove of "Stay In Front" that will prick up any ear and is funky as hell.

'80s retro funk/r&b shines through as everything just sounds so sunny and optimistic. Check out "Is It Fun", the current single. Kylie's relaxed, yet clear, vocal give it the icing on an already impressive cake. Producers Warren Hunter and Lewis Moody have added a glossy production to proceedings but super funky and spacious too, allowing each gem to breathe and it's mightily impressive teamwork from all concerned. Just to add, this is a bright start for her new label too. If this is anything to go by, I'm looking forward to future Soul Bank releases.
Words Emrys Baird