7/10

Since she first emerged in the middle of the last decade, Jorja Smith has been regularly held up as one of the most progressive and proficient artists working today. While her voice originally captured the attention of many in her infancy, it has been her ability to stay one step ahead of the trend when it comes to the RnB scene that has catapulted her place around the world, finding herself as one of the most exciting names working today. Now after a few years since her incredibly well-received debut album 'Lost & Found', she returns with 'Be Right Back', a quick update for her fans before she returns fully.

When she began releasing material from this release near the end of last year, we were all sure that a new album would be on the way, but instead she has treated 'Be Right Back' as a stop gap between albums, unveiling a small selection of gems from her recent studio work to keep our appetites thoroughly whet. But despite this not being a "proper" full-length collection, she is still managing to mesmerise throughout the release. Keeping the production stripped-back and minimal in places, it is a chance for her to offload a handful of cuts that highlight the direction she is taking her songwriting, and give us an insight in what we can expect on the next studio album.

When you consider that this isn't even supposed to be an official record, you realise that even Jorja Smith's throwaway options are even better than most do on their best days. 'Be Right Back' may just be a quick update to her fans around the world, but still shows so much promise and expectation for the years ahead.