On paper, everything about 23-year-old Kwabs seems to be a study in opposites. Born in Ghana, he was raised steeped in the soul music tradition in South London and eventually attended the city’s Royal Academy of Music. Even his moniker, which, to the less refined among us, could evoke a cross between SpongeBob and the type of infestation you might acquire riding a Greyhound in short-shorts, is just an abbreviated version of his full name, Kwabena Sarkodee Adjepong. But while Kwabs’ background makes it difficult to predict his sound, everything falls into place once you hit play on “Something Right.”
Opening with juicy synths and a drum beat that echoes predatorily throughout the track, the listener’s first impression is that Kwabs is just another addition to the new school of R&B. Then, of course, he opens his mouth. As soon as Kwabs unleashes his obviously-trained voice, it fills in every corner of the cut to add a rich sophistication to the electronics, an unmistakably human presence. Even better, that’s exactly what he’s going for. Or, in his words, “I’m so up for real singers who want to speak to an audience in a way that is honest and not overwhelmed by other aspects in the music.”
Long story short, there’s no question that a large part of Kwabs’ appeal comes from his seamless integration of musical opposites (and that voice!). And you won’t even have to finish listening to “Something Right” before you’re convinced that Kwabs is not just a “real singer,” but one who might soon become a heavyweight in the blossoming genre of neo-soul.