Izo FitzRoy releases stunning second album ‘How The Mighty Fall’
Vocal powerhouse Izo FitzRoy exploded on to the scene in 2017 with her debut album “Skyline”, which incorporated a stunning fusion of styles spanning gospel, funk and soul as Izo’s raw bluesy tone and direct lyricism took centre stage.
Fast forward two years and she now has one of the most recognizable voices in the modern soul scene having won high profile coverage across the BBC, KCRW, FIP, CLASH, UNCUT, Blues & Soul and Indie Shuffle to name a few.
Her new album “How The Mighty Fall” builds further on the soul foundations of her debut. Recorded between Paris, London and Sheffield, it sees her collaborating with three stellar producers and a host of talented musicians. Disco royalty – Dimitri From Paris (Glitterbox, BBE) directs fellow Parisians Cotonete on her smash single “I Want Magic” (which went on to be mixmag’s ‘tune of the week’). Studio wizard Shawn Lee (BBE, Ubiquity) brings the funky AOR vibes on “Slim Pickings” and the Mercury Prize nominated – Colin Elliott (Richard Hawley / Jarvis Cocker / Paul Weller) who produced the bulk of the album, completes the trio. And guesting on the record are the UK’s most in demand brass section – The Haggis Horns and Izo’s long-time collaborators – Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir.
Conceived during the aftermath of the breakdown of her long-term relationship, Izo looked to this personal experience for inspiration for the album as well as casting further afield at the wider themes of mental, societal and communication breakdowns.
Despite the strong material, at one point it seemed the record might never materialize. Just as the world was getting on board with her debut LP and international touring was taking off, Izo lost the use of her voice and required surgery on her vocal chords in the second part of 2018. A long schedule of vocal rehabilitation was necessary to get back to a position where she could first talk, then sing regularly enough to get back to work.
Thankfully after this difficult personal period for her, the silver lining from the experience was that post-recovery she gained a whole new octave at the top of her vocal range! This in turn has influenced her song writing on the album and allowed her to enhance her compositions with more vocal light and shade from this unexpected gift.
“How The Mighty Fall” out on LP / CD / Digital on March 13th via Jalapeno
