EMiL - Deadwood

There's something of a renaissance for good honest soul music going on in the UK right now. Whether it's the heartwrenching ballads of Adele or the grooves of Aloe Blacc, Britain can't seem to get enough of it at the moment. Turn on the radio some days and you could just as easily have tripped back into the 70s, a hazy cloud of Bill Withers melodies drifting along on the horizon, ushered in by BBC Sound of 2012 choice Michael Kiwanuka.

And now there's another name to add to the pot, EMiL. The singer-songwriter slides easily alongside his contemporaries, again offering a glossily produced re-envisioning of classic soul tropes. New single Deadwood makes for an impressive introduction to the artist, all rounded electric-piano lines and acoustic guitar. It's music to warm the spirit, a wholesome tonic to beat off whatever worries and woes might be lurking round the corner.

EMiL's brand of soul feels profoundly worldly, the voice of a man with more than a few tales to tell. Perhaps most remarkable though is the way, in an instant, EMiL transforms into club vocalist on his ace cover of garage tune Battle. Here, he once again comes into his element, slick vocals laced rapid-fire over a frenetic urban beat. If versatility is the sure sign of an artist with a future, then EMiL has it in bucketloads.

Deadwood is released on the 25th March.