It’s the rare mark of an artist so fully devoted to their craft that they develop a unique voice in their youth. Edmonton’s Billie Zizi deftly combines the groove of classic soul with a flair for contemporary R&B melody, adding a certain avant-jazz vibe with her guitar forays to create a sound as accessible as it is experimental.

Her most recent release, Levitate, produced by Winnipeg’s brilliant guitarist Austin Parachoniak, adds new elements of avant-garde country in Zizi’s melange of folk, jazz and pop, bringing a sonic element that touches on the traditional and brings a wistful air to her breezy vocals. Zizi’s willingness to venture into textural guitar adventures remains, never straying far from melody, like adventures unto themselves. Straightforward verses find themselves veering into sudden stops and changes in time that showcase her careful craft in building arrangements.

Billie Zizi breathes musical life and light into the offbeat souls and gritty character of her city, creating an atmosphere that accompanies a day spent people watching on the streets as easily as it does lying on your back in the park on a sunny day watching clouds drift across the pale blue sky.

- Mike Dunn