The Brighton based label Tru Thoughts has an impeccable history that’s a rich tapestry of funk, soul and jazz. Slowe is a wonderful addition to that roster, and her sophomore album In Moments might be one of their finest releases in years. The whole record has the feel of an exquisite scented candle, tasting like honey and glowing with a warm amber light. Sophie Hawes, who produces, writes and performs as Slowe, works in a fascinating way, designing and producing the songs on her computer before taking them to exceptional musicians to perform, and then returning back to refine and shape the result. She’s the producer as well as the voice at the centre, and the record has all the warmth and spontaneity of a live performance with little trumpet runs and other improvisational details, as the musicians are encouraged to play around and have fun alongside a meticulous producer who knows exactly how she want every element to behave.

What makes Slowe so special is actually what she refuses to do, with no power ballad bombast or big, loud emotional theatrics. Since the divas of the dance floor changed the language of soul and R&B there’s been enormous pressure on singers to perform at volume to demonstrate their power and range through sheer scale. Slowe goes in the opposite direction entirely, singing in her English accent with a gentleness that’s paradoxically far more affecting than louder singing would have been. She’s a brilliant singer, and the sonic world she inhabits is closer to the delicate soul of seventies film soundtracks than to anything contemporary. The themes throughout are about confusion in relationships, miscommunications, arguments and regret, and yet the sonic template is so soothing. In Moments is a downtempo singer-songwriter record of the highest quality, made with jazz sensibility, the warmth of soul and a gentleness all of its own.