Bloom

From arrangements to production to vocal delivery, Shannon Busch’s second album as WILSN channels classic soul in all the right ways. The Melbourne singer cut Bloom live to tape in Brooklyn with musicians who have played with Sharon Jones and Mark Ronson, and her no-nonsense songwriting fits that vintage feel to a tee. “If you see me on the street, keep walkin’,” she warns on “Keep Walkin’”, a strutting kiss-off worthy of Nancy Sinatra. Similarly scathing is “Big Star”, a takedown of an ex’s inflated ego that she co-wrote with guitarist Steven Veale. Meanwhile, “GIRL” celebrates female solidarity, especially as the world feels more worrisome by the day. Born from an instrumental nugget courtesy of Melbourne production team Frollen Music Library, which includes members of Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo, it’s a heartfelt check-in between women. Busch possesses an ample yet nuanced voice that’s perfectly suited to soul music, but she also knows when to strip back the swagger: “Without You” plumbs unvarnished romantic devotion against sparse threads of guitar, piano, organ and backup vocals, evoking the bolstering warmth of the best Aretha Franklin ballads.