It has been five years since Geoff Barrow took a break from searching for Portishead’s new sound to luxuriate in Stephanie McKay’s old-school variety by co-producing her debut album. There are no big-name collaborators for McKay this time round, but she clearly doesn’t need any. The musical recipe for Tell It Like It Is consists of equal parts late1960s soul and early1970s funk, effortlessly combining the social conscience of the former with the musical freedom of the latter. There is also a smidgen of hip-hop, but only in the sound, not the attitude; when McKay sings a song called Money, it’s about not how much she has, or what she would like to spend it on, but the way it messes with people’s lives. You might argue that nobody actually writes letters any more, but that won’t stop you swooning when McKay sings “I hope you get this letter some way” on the standout track, This Letter.

Muthas of Invention MOI002CD

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