Josephine Sincere Wildflower

Josephine Sincere Wildflower takes listeners back to the Golden Age of Philadelphia soul. What a lovely voice this young lady has. She has a way of calming the soul with the delicate, heartbreaking glide of her vocals; they penetrate below the skin, making you shudder with their icy depths.

The opening cut, "Bleed," doesn't prepare you for the emotional wallop to follow. "Bleed," while a strong hip-hop number, doesn't convey the creative ambition and artistic versatility that sums up the record. Elsewhere, Sincere wraps herself in the cozy sensuality of jazz and classic soul. Listen to "Jezebel" and hear Sincere's voice blend with the rainy-day melancholy of the piano, rising and falling with the notes. It's a knockout moment - one of many, shockingly enough.

On "Song for Solomon," Sincere's youthful age comes into question: How can a teenager sing like this? Her vocals are possessed with a spiritual depth that is extraordinary.

And "Wildflower" is like that from start to finish. I can't remember how many times my jaw dropped in admiration at how striking this lady's vocals are. She is spectacular, and so is her record.