London chanteuse Summer Pearl releases her debut mixtape, outmysystem. Armed with soul, jazz, reggae, and hip-hop elements, Pearl’s songs traverse the subjects of love, self-affirmation, and spirituality. She is in good company with Soul and Reggae singer Liam Bailey and broken beat veteran Kaidi Tatham. Pearl’s style amalgam has greater clarity when she recites the poetry of the three-part title track, but things are most interesting when she starts to enunciate like a jazz horn. The palpable charm of “Green Eyes” materializes as a swift lyrical progression that simultaneously doubles as rapping and scatting. Pearl changes her tone for the seductive “what you want,” which layers her voice in the lead and background, creating an amorous hallway of sound. Bailey proves to be a vital choice on “waste of time (bag uh reasons)” by providing a soothing counterpoint to Pearl’s side of the story. The singer revealed in a press release that some of the songs on the mixtape are eight years old, and the title is a reference to the fact that she must release this music to get it out of her system. It was three years ago when she released the Times Like These EP. Outmysystem frees Pearl from her previous emotional spaces with songs representing the heart of neo-soul.
