Reviewed by Ian Hayter

Kimla has, in the past, has sung opera, Broadway tunes, gospel and pop. A trained soprano, she's appeared with symphony orchestras, on the stage in Sunset Boulevard and in opera in such classics as Cosi Fan Tutte and The Marriage Of Figaro. Now she's turned her attention to an EP of self-penned songs which include elements of pop, R&B and gospel. Sharing vocal duties with Marcus Dickerson on the opening "Celebrate" (which also apparently features Harry Conyers on drums, although his contribution isn't particularly outstanding) and J Michael on the closing "I Love You", Kimla gives her impressive lungs a good airing. "Nevertheless" is a rousing gospel anthem with a choir belting out a response and there's a clearly nuptial theme on "I'm Getting Married", which has a great big band accompaniment. Ms Beasley's enunciation is far more precise than most popular singers (think Jessye Norman singing Gloria Gaynor), but this is still an entertaining and uplifting set with good production by Marinho Nobre.

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