Zak Abel - 02/06/16



I discovered Zak Abel last year when I first heard his incredibly catchy and jazzy track, 'These Are The Days', which reminded me quite a lot of Justin Timberlake's 'Senorita', in all the right ways.  Following this I immediately downloaded all of the material that he had to offer, my personal favourites being 'Say Sumthin', produced by KAYTRANADA, and also 'Soul Child', taken from his 'One Hand on the Future' EP.

I went to one of Zak's shows last November where he played a small gig at the Notting Hill Arts Club.  He has one of the most flawless live voices that I've ever heard - it honestly sounds like you could be listening to a studio recording him on your iPod.  So I was very keen to try and see him the next time he played in London.

The show sold out in a couple of days which certainly demonstrates his rapidly growing popularity in the UK music scene.  The venue was the ideal size for him and his band; big enough to allow people to get their hands on tickets but not so massive that the intimacy was lost.  Unfortunately I arrived too late to see the support act Tayá, but she came on later to perform the female vocals on 'Say Sumthin' with Zak, and she had a really lovely voice.

In terms of the setlist, Zak had the perfect balance of new songs, old songs and also covers, all of which the crowd seemed to absolutely relish.  He also had several special guests, including Tayá, Stuart Zender (writer and producer of Zak's latest single 'Everybody Needs Love') and also Paloma Faith who featured on a cover of Gwen McCrae's 1979 hit 'All This Love That I'm Giving'.  Highlights for me would have to be his cover of Drake's 'One Dance' and also the overwhelming crowd response when he performed 'These Are The Days'.  

Overall, it was one of the most fun gigs that I've ever been to - you really felt like you had to dance and sing along.  Zak's vibrant and enthusiastic personality (not to mention, his serious dance moves) along with the great music helped to provide the foundations for what I think is going to be a huge year for him.

Download Zak Abel's 'One Hand on the Future' EP here

Download his latest single 'Everybody Needs Love' here

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